71% of Americans Believe That by 2050, Artificial Limbs Will Perform Better Than Natural Ones

Wednesday, August 14, 2013 SPORK! 0 Comments

Fascinating new data from the Pew Research Center

MEGAN GARBER

AUG 6 2013

In a report out today, the Pew Research Center offers a fascinating look at Americans' views on aging -- and on, specifically, the practice known as "radical life extension." The majority of American adults, the survey found, don't believe that such life extension capabilities will be generally feasible in the near future: 73 percent of them, asked whether the average person would live to be 120 years old by the year 2050, answered in the negative.

Where Americans place more confidence, it seems, is in the incremental technologies that could contribute to longer life spans. As part of its survey, Pew asked its respondents how optimistic they are about things like artificial limbs and cures for cancer. And the responses they got were fascinating:

Read more at the Atlantic