Hologram Avatar and Rainbow Bodies

Niraj Kumar President, Society for Asian Integration

Can Death be an optional choice in future? A 32-year old multi-millionaire Russian tech entrepreneur Dmitri Itskov will be launching a company selling immortality this year. The research into neuroscience and human consciousness will be fused with the goal of transferring human minds into robots, with an ultimate aim to extend human life indefinitely. Itskov has invited richest in the Forbes list. Itskov led a team of 23 members in seeking the UN support towards their ambitious project through an open letter dated 11th March,2013. Itskovs programme includes development push to understand human consciousness and ultimately technology to transfer consciousness from human bodies into robotic avatars. His The 2045 Initiative has 4 stages In the first stage , by 2020 scientists will figure out how to control robots via brain-machine interfaces (mind control). Such instruments are already in operations for simple functions like putting on light, TV etc. In the second stage, the aim is to place a human brain into a working robot by 2025 and have that person's consciousness (memories, personality, and everything else that makes up the "self") transfer along with it. It will be like downloading a pdf file from brain to robot. Next stage is to create robots with artificial brains to which human consciousness can be uploaded by 2035 and, finally, completely disembodied consciousness termed as Hologram Avatar , as mere version of a person's mind by 2045 A.D. Ray Kurzweil, one of the signatories had earlier announced that 'Immortality is twenty years away.'1 He firmly believes that with the support of fusion of biology, nanotechnology and artificial intelligence, mankind can reverse the process of aging. Biomedical gerontologist, Aubrey de Grey wrote a magnum opus with Michael Rae, Ending Aging 2 .He is confident that human beings can live for 1000 years. Human life expectancy has more than doubled within a century-from 30 years in 1900 to 62 years in 1985 and 75 years now. The Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2009 was given to three American scientists 3 for their path-breaking work on immortality enzyme, telomerase that help cells multiply without damage & holds the key to delaying aging. While length of telomeres as holding the key to prolonged life is the latest buzz among scientists; another international constellation of research teams published a promising finding in October,2009 that earlier presumption about animals & plants developing different genetic programmes for cell death was not correct. The international team found that cell deaths in plants, animals as well as humans are evolutionarily related and function in a similar way. They have found clue of long life of cells in living system in a particular evolutionarily conserved Protein-TUDOR-SN. 4 Cells that lack this protein experience premature programmed death.

A common understanding that is beginning to emerge is that if plants & trees and other animals can live for centuries, cannot the processes be replicated at human level thereby producing negligible senescence5. Can biomedical gerontology, fusion of nanotechnology with molecular biology & Artificial Intelligence herald a new era when mankind can defer death indefinitely?

Convergence of Technology Robet J. Sawyer, the science fiction writer from Canada in his book Mindscan6, put up a theme on eternal living. His premise is based on the fact that in near future human beings would be able to duplicate themselves while still alive by copying their consciousness into robotic bodies & ensure long lives. Most of trans-humanists who believe in fusing man with machine base their arguments using Kurzweils ideas. Kurzweils bold declaration that by 2029 A.D., machine consciousness would surpass human consciousness(Turing Test) raised many eyebrows. In his work, Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Live Forever , 7 Kurzweil with co-author Terry Grossman formulated three bridges concept to attain immortality. First, use current knowledge of biomedical advances to dramatically slow down aging and disease processes. Bridge II is the biotechnology revolution which would provide the tools to reprogram biology. The third bridge is nanotechnology. This will help rebuild bodies & brain at molecular level. This would entail transcending limitations of biology & man can achieve indefinite lifeextension. Bruce Duncan, Managing Director of Terasem Movement Foundation claims that their Lifenaut project allows to store human qualities of individuals as mindfiles. Mindfiles (there are about 12,000 so far) are stored online at lifenaut.com. In future AI programs, a scientist will use a mindfile and a persons DNA to create a digital clone of that person that can interact with future family members and others. Duncan states , Mindfiles are database files with uploaded digital information (videos, pictures, documents, and audio recordings) about a persons unique characteristics (such as mannerisms, attitudes, values, and beliefs). 8 The Foundation has created Bina48, an android based on the mindfile of Bina Rothblatt, the team leader. Android Robot Bina48 continues to acquire new experiences and knowledge by interacting with people (using videocams in eyes, face-recognition software, and Dragon voice-recognition software. Roboticist Hiroshi Ishiguro of Osaka University has built his own mechanical twin to see how humans react to lifelike machines.9

Understanding Roots of Death in biology How do cells age? Can this be delayed at that level? If one can understand the biology of cellular death, biological senescence can be delayed and aging slowed down. A group of researchers link cellular aging with the loss of a chemical, phosphatidylcholine in cell membrane.10 Cell membrane in a young individual contains nearly 60% phosphatidylcholine. This significantly reduces to 10% among elderly and hard fat as well as cholesterol accumulate in cell membranes causing degeneration. Body does make this chemical, but the requirement increases with age. By supplementing phosphatidylcholine, the aging process can be slowed down. It is established now as to how the length of telomeres determine our cellular division, thereby affecting longevity. Normally, a cell line undergoes fifty generation of division. Scientists have discovered the clue. Human genes are sequenced into chromosomes. Telomeres are analogous to the plastic tip of shoe-laces which prevent deterioration of DNA sequences. Each time a cell divide, telomeres shortens in length. When it reduces significantly, cells stop dividing and organs begin to fail. Among, a group of Ashkenazi Jews where 86 very old people with average age of 97 years were selected for finding the reasons of longevity. 11 It was traced to certain mutant genes that was responsible for hyperactive system that produces telomerase enzyme. This was responsible for keeping sufficient length of telomeres tip, hence delayed senescence. By inducing mutation in relevant genes, telomeres length can be maintained. This can be another way to delay aging. Another group of scientists at Harvard is working on the idea of tricking normal body cells to behave like germ cells (sperm/ova). We have two different types of cells in human body-somatic cells that constitute body and germ cells responsible for progeny. Germ cells are practically immortal. These have been found to have high degree of immunity and resistance to various diseases which somatic cells suffer. Scientists have tricked a worm, C.Elegans to behave like germ cells that resulted into prolonged lifespan. 12 There is a new focus on understanding process of Programmed Cell Death(PCD) that will help in prolonging life. If selective elimination of unwanted cells in multicellullar organism is not done, the organism will die. This is what happens with cancer when mechanism of PCD fails to control eliminating multiplying cells. If there is death of helper immune cells (T-cells), AIDS is caused. Death of certain brain neurons cause Alzheimer & Parkinson disease. By properly understanding PCD, such deep level disease can be eliminated. Earlier, it was thought that there are differences in PCD in plants & animals. But, recent finding by an international team that plants as well as animal undergo PCD in same way by breaking the protein TUDOR-SN. TUDOR-SN or SND1 protein is ubiquitous protein & found in all animals and each organ of human body at similar level. Cells that lack TUDOR-SN protein often experience premature PCD. TUDOR-SN holds the key to regulating PCD. This team has therefore put focus on evolutionarily conserved protein,TUDOR-SN as holding the key to immortality. Certain plants are as old as 5000 years & some animals like turtle 300 years. Scientists are trying to achieve a breakthrough in properly extracting the factors responsible for longevity & apply biomedically to enhance human life.

Some researchers are also working on unraveling the process behind power of renewal in various animals. Certain frogs can renew legs. Lizard & salamander has this property. Even our skin cells have ability to heal. This mechanism is being thoroughly examined for replication in treatments. Therapeutic cloning is a rave. There is so much rush to grow embryonic stem cells into organs. Recently, Chinese scientists succeeded in using somatic cells to create embryonic stem cells in mice & successful breeding was achieved among the similarly-produced mice. In 2012, British scientists pinned their hope on flat worms, and believe these could live forever after examining their ability to repeatedly regenerate. Nottingham University researchers managed to create a colony of more than 20,000 flatworms from one original by chopping it into pieces and observing each section grow into a new complete worm with brain, guts, skin, and new muscles. They found that flatworms can continuously maintain the length of the telomeres, during regeneration. Once this mechanism is unraveled, mankind can learn to maintain the telomerase length and hence live longer and potentially immortal if the human cells continue to reproduce without telomerase shortening. Fusion of biotechnology & nanotechnology will unleash changes of gigantic proportion in prolonging life span. Biotechnology will help reverse ageing. But, nanotechnology will rather accelerate human capabilities. Scientists like Robert Freitas claim that respirocytes (nano-RBC) can be built and injected into human blood. 13 These machines will be hundred times more efficient than biological system. Our stamina will grow manifold and biological system will seem so sluggish. Similarly, there can be nano-WBC that will be quicker to respond & destroy bacteria and save body from infection. These kind of nanomachines will destroy even cancer cells in few seconds. Kurzweil terms such emergent machines as Nanobots. Recently, scientists have succeeded in removing cholesterol plaque from coronary arteries using nano-gold particles & drugs have been delivered to successful location among mammals using nanotechnology. Prospects are bright and achievements are occurring at exponential pace. In future, nanobots would supplement our immune system within next two decades. Carbon nanotubes are being used to build artificial neurons which are more efficient than biological neurons. National Science Foundation, USA has injected millions in this specific area of nano-bio-engineering. But, the clue to immortality lies more in brain than in body. Man is a aggregate of 100 billion neurons rather than that of 10 billion body cells. It is the frontier of brain which is being conquered with an astonishing speed. Status of Brain Dr. Henry Markam, the Project Director of the Blue Brain Project in Geneva is optimistic to construct models of human brain within a decade. 14 The Blue Brain Project is working on building simulated brain models of different mammal like rat, cat, monkey

& finally human brain. This Project is in fact creating exact replica down to synaptic connections by simulating various brain region. In man, the Project has sketched 400 brain regions containing different types of neurons and neuro-transmitters. Now, the Project will simulate human brain by actually building up neurons at morphologicalelectrical-molecular levels. As of August 2012, the largest simulations made are of mesocircuits containing around 100 cortical columns . Such simulations involved approximately 1 million neurons and 1 billion synapses and this is about the scale of a honey bee brain. Soon, a rat brain neocortical simulation (~21 million neurons) will be achieved by the end of 2014.Makaram claims that full human brain simulation (86 billion neurons) should be possible only by 2023 provided sufficient funding is received. But, next major breakthrough in brain research has come from the IBM team under Dharmendra Modha who managed to simulate the computing complexity of a cats brain with one billion neurons. The scientists created a fresh algorithm, Blue Matter that aims to replicate the connection between all the human brains cortical and sub-cortical locations. Within six months, the scientists are able to simulate connection of one billion neurons from meager one lakh. IBM's SyNAPSE, modeled 530 billion neurons in November,2012 , which is more than total number of neurons in human brains. But, the model is very slow. However this augurs well for simulating human brain. The Synthetic Brain Project being funded by National Science Foundation, US is building neurons from carbon nano-tubules. The team has already synthesized vision system and synthetic cochlea and their successful interface with real brain. Synthetic brain project aims to replicate neuro-plasticity, the ability of neurons to learn & adapt in an environment through experience & brains capacity to produce new neurons as well as connection within a few hours. Carbon-nano-tubules used in project are found to be more efficient than biological neurons as these can be connected in all directions in contrast to biological neurons which have limited connections. Synthetic neurons may become better learner than biological neurons. Once Synthetic Brain Project achieves breakthrough, more efficient Prosthetic Brain will be available to mankind! To circumvent the problem of plasticity, scientists are traversing various paths. A group of researchers in UK developed a computer using a slime mold, Plasmodium (Plasmobot) instead of electric signals. This performed operation in completing mathematical constructs. By developing this line of experiments, scientists can use self-replicating biological organism to create a neural network which will have power to grow fresh neurons in response to environmental stress. Another team has found that glial cells which outnumber neurons by a factor of 10 and till now was considered dark matter of brain, has in fact important role to play in brains immune system. Andrew Koob, author of The Root of Thought 15 put astrocyte(a kind of glial cells) as responsible for creative and imaginative existence of human brain. Astrocytes work like analog network and produce calcium waves unlike neurons which produce Na+/K+ waves. These astrocyctes are found to be more connected and in

command of biochemical chatter than neurons and increases brains computing power manifold. Bernstein centre for computational Neuroscience, Germany has launched a grand project Foci: Neurotechnology to understand how brain works during various activities. Neural mapping by cognitive neuroscientists are almost complete. Even wisdom network has been located in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex. The growing convergence between cognitive neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence is making feasible, creation of biological robots. Scientists are working on culturing biological neurons and then interfacing this with AI. They are optimistic that such robots will exhibit emotional qualities of biological world. Tiangfu Wu developed Einstein Robot and caused lot of worldwide interest in his project. This robot frowns or smiles reflecting on the situation. Machine consciousness enthusiast are trying to build higher & higher intelligence network and developing liquid computing that can handle infinite parallel commands. These enthusiasts take their cue from Cricks idea of the astonishing hypothesis that consciousness has neuro-biological roots. If the structure & function of brain can be replicated, consciousness can emerge even in machines. Michal Vassar of the Singularity Institute and his colleagues are rather publicizing that a conscious mind has started to emerge in machines. A team of AI researches have found this in their experiment on evolving robots. A colony of robots with neural circuitry of mere 30 genes learnt to communicate after 50th generation and some of them even learnt to lie. 16 Few emerged as heroes willing to sacrifice for survival of colony. The experiments were conducted at Swiss Federal Institute of Technology under the guidance of Dario Floreano. In February,2013 , Stanfords NeuroGrid Research team developed new computer model of a brain with one million neurons and that works just as fast as a live brain does. The new artificial brain, called Neurogrid, is a lighter, cheaper version of supercomputer models. It's also much more energy efficient, using just 5 watts of electricity, compared to the 8 megawatts that Blue Gene/Q Sequoia, SyNAPSE's supercomputer,uses. But, will synthetic human brain be as conscious as biological human brain? That is the debate! Is consciousness inherent in mere form-the connectivity of neurons? Is consciousness mere an epiphenomena of structure of matter? Or consciousness has transphysical roots? Within a decade when prosthetic brains will be available and that can be integrated successfully with biological brain, there will be billion times greater leap in human intelligence. The innovations will grow at much higher exponential rate. Human brain cannot learn and remember more than about 2 bits per second. It is very sluggish in comparison with learning ability of the machines. But, this would very well complement radical extension in our longevity. Once aging is eliminated, there would be a problem of memory accumulation. Machine-brain consciousness will resolve that crisis. Once our memories and brain functions are fully understood in this decade, there will be attempt to download that into machines. Machine-brain interface would make it more practical.

Future of Immortals! There is a renewed focus on popularizing contemplative path to immortality. There is a strong tradition of MahaSiddhas among the Buddhists. In modern times, story of Saint Ramalinga Swamigal of Vadalur has been properly documented and authenticated. Ramalinga disappeared from the room on January 30, 1874 before the chanting devotees as rays of violet light. In Christianity, story of Jesus Christ is basically a story of immortality and conquest over death. Tibetan Buddhist sects include techniques to guide consciousness to take rebirth (bardo) or even transfer the consciousness to any material or biological object (phowa) is being taught & practiced. Disappearance of physical body after death have been regularly reported from the Buddhist world, what one terms as Rainbow body(Jalus).The masters of dzogchen tradition emanate rainbows and leave only nails and hairs, rest of body transmute into light. Recently, a case was reported in Sichuan in 2011 when Mahasiddha Lama Achuk Rinpoches body shrank from 1.8 metre to merely 1 inch in a week and rainbows appeared at the place. Close to Tibetan tradition , the head of the Burayat Buddhists, Humbo Lama Itigelov who died in 1927 but whose body continue to be in a living condition even after 86 years has become a puzzle for scientists. Even Russian President Putin visited his shrine recently in April, 2013. The Zhang Zhung tradition of Bon Buddhism has developed detailed methods to obtain Rainbow Body (jalus) through practice of thegchod and thodgal. The scientific and contemplative path towards immortality is getting accelerated. When the pace of development of outer world becomes so fast as to entrain with inner world, biological necessity of Death itself might get obliterated. The digital immortality would be succeeded by real biological immortality, since there would be no necessity for death. Both kind of immortality will converge. The most advanced digital immortal, Hologram Avatar, and the biological immortals with Rainbow Body appear similar in form. Both lacks materiality and disembodied consciousness. But, unlike Hologram Avatar , rainbow Bodies are self-conscious, and have power to bring non-local transference. Rainbow Bodies have the option to cross over materiality at will. These Bodies appear as transfigurations and also make simultaneous appearances as has been documented in the biography of saints like Padamsambhava and Milarepa. Possibility of digital Immortality will breed inertia. There will not be existential dread. Without fear of death, impulse to develop outer world would disappear. Mankind might be reduced into biological caterpillar, as envisaged by the immortality protagonists. But, rainbow immortality can be achieved only through incessant creative urge and compassion. Creative people will still long for Rainbow bodies more than the Hologram Avatar since its the biological immortality harnessed through altruism, compassion and practice that provides the twin pleasure of svatantrata (freedom) and ananda(bliss) simultaneously.

Amy Willis, Immortality only 20 years away says scientist, The Telegraph, 22 September, 2009 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/sciencenews/6217676/Immortality-only20-years-away-says-scientist.html

Aubrey de Grey with Michael Rae , Ending Ageing:The Rejuvenation Breakthroughs That Could Reverse Human Aging in Our Lifetime, St. Martin Press, 2007.

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2009 was conferred jointly to Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Carol W. Greider and Jack W. Szostak for the discovery of "how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase"

Science Daily, Cell Death Occurs In Same Way In Plants And Animals, Nature http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013105335.htm Also Jens F. Sundstrm, Alena Vaculova et al. ,Tudor staphylococcal nuclease is an evolutionarily conserved component of the programmed cell death degradome. Nature Cell Biology, October 11,2009.

The term was coined by Caleb E. Finch in his book Longevity, Senescence, and the Genome ,1990. Robert Sawyer, MINDSCAN, Tor Books,2005. Ray Kurzweil & Terry Grossman,Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Live Forever,Rodale, 2004. Amara D. Angelica , Welcome to your future android clone, March 12, 2012 http://www.kurzweilai.net/welcome-to-your-future-clone

6 7

Chris Carroll & Max Aguilera-Hellweg, Robots Get real, National georgraphy, August, 2011,

10

Naru E, Takanezawa Y, Kobayashi M, et al. Increased levels of a particular phosphatidylcholine species in senescent human dermal fibroblasts in vitro. Human Cell. 2008 Aug;21(3):70-8.

11

Longenity and The Longevity Genes Project , at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Yeshiva University http://www.einstein.yu.edu/centers/aging/research/longenity-longevity-genes-project/

12

Tim Schedl ed. Germ Cell Development in C. elegans, Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, 757, Springer, 2013

13

. Robert A. Freitas Jr., "Exploratory Design in Medical Nanotechnology: A Mechanical Artificial Red Cell," Artificial Cells, Blood Substitutes, and Immobil. Biotech. 26(1998):411-430.

14

The Blue Brain Project, Switzerland,http://bluebrain.epfl.ch/

cole

Polytechnique

Fdrale

de

Lausanne

15

Andrew Koob, The Root of Thought: Unlocking Glia--the Brain Cell That Will Help Us Sharpen Our Wits, Heal Injury, and Treat Brain Disease, Pearson Education,2009

16

Michael Abrams , Robots Evolve And Learn How to Lie, Discover Magazine January 14, 2008 http://discovermagazine.com/2008/jan/robots-evolve-and-learn-how-to lie#.UaXNKNJaU8o