In this blog post, we explore how close humanity has come to immortality, from ancient legends of the elixir of life to modern biotechnology and artificial brain research.
The dream of immortality is as old as human history itself. From ancient legends of the elixir of life to modern biotechnology and artificial brain research, how close have we come to achieving “life beyond death”? In this article, we will explore humanity’s quest for immortality, focusing on ancient myths, historical attempts, and current scientific advancements.
The tiny nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is an intriguing organism that symbolically represents this journey. Measuring just 1 millimeter in length, this nematode survives and moves using only 302 neurons, making it the only organism whose entire neural network has been fully mapped. Due to these unique characteristics, it is widely used as a model organism in various fields, including biology, genetic engineering, anatomy, and neuroscience.
In 2014, the OpenWorm project, led by robotics engineers from the United States and the United Kingdom, successfully digitized the C. elegans nervous system (connectome) and applied it to a robot. The resulting robot exhibited movements similar to those of C. elegans without any commands, sparking significant interest worldwide, both in academic circles and among the general public, as the “first artificial life form created by humans.” While artificial intelligence like AlphaGo mimics human thinking through complex algorithms, the C. elegans robot represents a more fundamental form of “mimicry” by directly digitizing and implementing the biological neural network itself. Beyond a mere technological demonstration, this experiment has been hailed as a new turning point in humanity’s quest to approach the concept of immortality.
In fact, humanity’s obsession with immortality has been a recurring theme throughout history. The first unified emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, is a prime example. Upon reaching the pinnacle of power, he became consumed by fear of death and mobilized astronomical resources to search for the mythical “elixir of immortality.” However, his quest ended in vain. Not only did he fail to find the elixir, but he died from mercury poisoning after ingesting an immortal potion containing mercury. Qin Shi Huang’s quest for immortality remains one of the most relentless attempts in history.
Meanwhile, in Europe, legends of seeking the Fountain of Youth were widely spread. In the 16th century, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León set sail for the Caribbean in search of the “Fountain of Youth,” an official expedition fully supported by the Spanish royal family. Though he ultimately died in a clash with indigenous peoples in 1521, his name lives on today alongside the mystical legend of the “Fountain of Youth.”
This legend was also referenced in a Disney movie, bringing it back into the spotlight for modern audiences. However, humanity’s quest for immortality has expanded beyond the mere extension of physical life to include the concept of the “soul.” Ancient Egyptian civilization believed in an afterlife where the soul survives even after the body perishes. The pyramids were not merely tombs but houses and temples where the pharaohs would travel to the afterlife and enjoy eternal life. The mummified bodies, the walls covered with hieroglyphics, and the countless burial artifacts were all the result of intense efforts to achieve the immortality of the soul. This belief in the immortality of the soul was carried on by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato.
In his work “Phaedo,” he distinguished between the body and the soul, asserting that while the body is mortal, the soul is immortal. This concept of the immortality of the soul became central to the doctrines of many religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and is believed by more than half of the world’s population. The belief that, although the body dies, eternal life can be attained in the afterlife has long provided direction and meaning to countless people.
What about the modern era? Advances in science and technology have opened up new possibilities for humanity’s quest for immortality. Rather than seeking mystical herbs or magical springs, people are now exploring practical technologies such as gene editing, artificial organs, and brain-machine interfaces (BMI) to extend lifespan. In 2015, scientists successfully extended the lifespan of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans by 18% through genetic manipulation. Recently, research is actively underway to regulate aging-related genes using CRISPR gene editing technology. Meanwhile, advancements in immunotherapy have pushed the anticipated timeline for conquering cancer to the early 2030s, and regenerative medicine, which aims to repair damaged organs, is also making significant progress.
In this context, C. elegans robots occupy a symbolic position. The fact that these robots can respond and move like living organisms without any special algorithms, simply by replicating the neural network of a living organism, demonstrates the possibility of digitizing the structure of living organisms, including the brain. If human brains were to be digitized in this way someday, what would happen? If we could decipher the connection information between all neurons and create an artificial brain based on that, humanity might finally become capable of replacing the brain and thus “escape death.” If the human brain is the vessel that holds “me”—including memories and thoughts—then preserving or replicating that brain could mean achieving immortality.
Of course, this is not mere fantasy. Since the mid-2020s, attempts to digitally implement the human brain have gradually become more concrete. Representative examples include the US Brain Initiative and the European Union’s Human Brain Project. In particular, numerous research results published in 2023 and 2024 show that we are getting closer to simulating the operating principles of individual neural networks by combining high-resolution brain scanning technology and AI.
However, this process still faces numerous challenges. The human brain is incomparably more complex than that of a nematode, and fully interpreting its structure and function remains a distant prospect. Even if we were to understand the brain’s structure, philosophical questions persist: Can it be fully replicated in a machine? And would the “self” transferred in such a manner be the true “self”?
Furthermore, the human brain is constantly changing through interaction with the body, and artificially implementing such complex interactions also poses enormous technical challenges. Ultimately, this discussion is essentially similar to the immortality elixir sought by Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the fountain of youth sought by Juan de la Mancha, and the pyramids built by the Egyptian pharaohs. All of these attempts stem from the human instinct to overcome death. However, there is one difference: today’s quest for immortality is not merely a legend or myth, but is gradually entering the realm of reality through the verifiable tools of science. Immortality may still be a distant dream. But it is because of humanity’s pursuit of that dream that we exist today and can imagine the future.
The challenge that began in the tiny body of the nematode may one day become a milestone in perfectly replicating the human brain and life, leading to immortality. Just as countless scientific and technological advancements that once seemed impossible have become reality. And when that dream is realized, I hope the questions posed in this article will serve as a starting point for the curiosity of future generations.
