Unlocking The Fountain

4.6 (69)
SCIENCE
WEEKLY SERIES

What if there were a pill that could add decades to your life? Would you take it? For thousands of years, people have searched for elixirs that could delay death and extend human life. Could new advances in medicine finally make this a reality? From madcap medicine to cutting-edge science, the quest to unlock the fountain of youth is teeming with dreamers, skeptics and charlatans alike.

EPISODE 1

Episode 1: 150 Candles

Are we on the verge of medical breakthroughs that will extend healthy human life by decades? Some scientists say the first human to reach 150 years is already alive. Is it you?

32 min
EPISODE 2

Episode 2: Phony Fountains

Today’s aging science is built on shaky foundations, from Ponce de Leon’s legendary quest for the fountain of youth, to surgeons who transplanted monkey testicles into men. We also look at cryonics and mind-uploading -- speculative science that purports to bring people back from the dead.

35 min
EPISODE 3

Episode 3: The 11-Year-Old Scientist

Why do we age, and how can we reverse it? We meet a researcher whose discoveries overturned everything we thought we knew about aging. We learn about the levers that cause aging to speed up or slow down. And we meet the 11-year-old scientist at the centre of it all.

30 min
EPISODE 4

Episode 4: Fountain in a Pill

Scientists have identified several drugs that appear to slow aging. Some are already widely used in humans to treat other diseases. But how do you get a cure approved when regulators don’t see aging as a disease? And wouldn’t it take decades to prove the pill prolongs human lifespan? This episode explores the hits and misses on the path to a fountain-of-youth pill.

37 min
EPISODE 5

Episode 5: Expiration Date

Keith and Laura get tested to find out if they’re genetically predisposed for longevity. Another test promises to reveal their biological ages. Have stress and disease conspired to make them older than they should be? Plus, more hallmarks of aging: weakened immunity, chronic inflammation and methylation.

33 min
EPISODE 6

Episode 6: How to Live Longer

Making the right choices around what we eat, how much we exercise and how we manage our stress can add a decade or more to our lives. In this episode: A science based blueprint for building your own fountain of youth.

41 min
EPISODE 7

Episode 7: Dog Years

The animal world is full of age-related curiosities. Tiny aquatic creatures called hydras don’t age at all, while small dogs live twice as long as big ones. Pets may be the first to benefit from medicines that slow aging, which could pave the way for similar drugs for people.

30 min
EPISODE 8

Episode 8: Dream or Dystopia?

What does a world with extreme longevity look like? What effect would it have on the population and the health of our planet? Could governments afford the increased costs for health care and social security? How do we ensure lifespan-extension drugs don’t exacerbate the longevity gap between rich and poor? And how long will it really be before the first 150 year old is born?

32 min
SEASON 2 TRAILER

Unlocking the Fountain - Trailer

If there were a pill that could add decades to your life, would you take it? Unlocking the Fountain is a podcast about the mysteries of aging and the scientific quest to slow, stop or reverse it. Hosted by Keith McArthur, coming September 28.

2 min

See All Season 2 (9)

TRAILER

Unlocking the Fountain - Trailer

If there were a pill that could add decades to your life, would you take it? Unlocking the Fountain is a podcast about the mysteries of aging and the scientific quest to slow, stop or reverse it. Hosted by Keith McArthur, coming September 28.

S2

•

2 min

Keith McArthur

Host

4.6

out of 5

69 Ratings

Awesome podcast!

03/23/2023

pianopeople

I was especially interested as I am participating in a clinical trial of Rapamycin, and my epigenetic age test has me 12 years older than my biological age - not great news for anyone! I thought the explanations in the fourth episode about Mtor, telemeres, etc., were so well done - I really appreciate the work that went into synthesizing this information! Very interesting and relevant.
So much navel-gazing

12/06/2023

Oberon6

The science is a Trojan horse for so much late Gen X/Millennial navel-gazing driven by a disability-as-identity subjectivity. Worse still, McArthur uses his own son — a vulnerable, young, child with very real health concerns — as a “motivation” to make a podcast. (That alone makes this project ethically dubious at best.) And when that’s not enough, he trots out his own health issues and neuroses all of which come across as a broken ego’s need for attention and validation. It’s a shame because the remarkable research and science happening now around aging and the ethical and moral conversations that need to flow from them are captivating all on their own. This is not a science podcast. It’s omphaloskeptic drivel at it most annoying.
Love love this Podcast

10/30/2022

Constanza from NY

It makes me feel hopeful and empowered!
Incredibly inspiration and informative

01/07/2022

Dead judge

Wonderful storytelling that effectively relays Keith’s and his family’s struggles, hopes, hard work, and love. What a great show! It should win all the awards!

What if there were a pill that could add decades to your life? Would you take it? For thousands of years, people have searched for elixirs that could delay death and extend human life. Could new advances in medicine finally make this a reality? From madcap medicine to cutting-edge science, the quest to unlock the fountain of youth is teeming with dreamers, skeptics and charlatans alike.