The second part, which touches on transhumanism and on politics - and on practical steps everyone can take to prepare for the oncoming wave of changes - is available here open.spotify.com/episode/0HmE...

The first part - which is mainly about AI, and how AI will accelerate biotech, nanotech, and cognotech (and hence profoundly transform at least nine major areas of human life) - can be heard here open.spotify.com/episode/0VXy...

Anyone in or near London's Fleet Street on Monday 15th December should consider joining the London Futurists pre-Christmas get-together, where we'll be considering what the events of 2025 may provide signs of profound disruptions ahead www.meetup.com/london-futur...

My response to "Fascination of investors such as Elon Musk with uploading their brains to computers is hindering progress in curing disease, say scientists" is this - Transhumanists need to be guided by actual science, not by wishful thinking or over-exuberant hype

In summary, "Joy" is an emotional rollercoaster, that illuminates an important part of medical history that ought to be better known, and also provides a useful comparison for understanding present-day opposition to researching cures for aging. Watch it at www.netflix.com/watch/81701716

(That 1970s MRC pomposity has, alas, echoes in the overly conservative approach many funding bodies have in 2025 to deciding which health research to support - with meaningful anti-aging research being starved of serious finance. It's a good reason to shout out at the world!)

There's lots of excellent acting in the film. And fine use of music. But you may be provoked to shout out to the screen at various times - for example, at the uncaring pomposity of the Medical Research Council assessors turning down a request for more funding for IVF research.

In the same way, visible progress with reversing aging has, so far, been frustratingly slow. Critics see this as a sign that the whole endeavour is flawed, and that funding should be diverted away to other causes. But a closer look shows that lots is happening behind the scenes.

In both cases, a superficial assessment of the slow pace of visible progress might lead you to agree with the critics. IVF failed on countless occasions before Purdy, Steptoe, and Edwards worked out how to increase the likelihood of success.

Episodes in the film have many echoes with the opposition still hurled nowadays at scientists who are dedicated to reverse aging. Aging is natural, people say. Talking of reversing aging just causes psychological harm. The wise thing to do is to accept aging. So the critics say.

The film covers the decades-long collaboration between IVF pioneers Robert Edwards, Patrick Steptoe, and Jean Purdy. The focus on Jean Purdy is particularly welcome, as it corrects what used to be a common historical oversight, in which she was omitted from the limelight.

The film "Joy", available on Netflix, features all these complaints, and lots more. It also shows the heartaches experienced by many women whose IVF treatments failed, in the early days before the first successful birth. The "Frankenstein" complaint almost seemed to be justified.