麻豆约拍

The idea of living forever has captivated us for millennia, but rarely do people imagine what would happen the day after the fountain of youth is discovered. Today鈥檚 technology entrepreneurs pushing an immortality agenda - through their investments and their influence - seem only focussed on the pursuit.

Whether or not immortality is a distant possibility, how do we cope with living longer en route to forever? Where鈥檚 the planning for that? It鈥檚 a great opportunity for innovative thinkers but, from what we鈥檝e seen over the last two decades of technological disruption, these real but smaller goals aren鈥檛 nearly as enticing as the big ones.

In this series, technology reporter and psychologist Aleks Krotoski explores the frontiers of the extreme longevity pioneers. They've made their money in Silicon Valley. And with their technology solutions - PayPal, Facebook, cryptocurrencies - they've ushered in the world that we live in today, with all its unintended consequences. Some of them now want to solve the "problem" of aging, or even death, and they are making bigger strides than we may think.

Can they? Should they?

A Pillowfort production for 麻豆约拍 Radio 4

New episodes released Mondays. If you're in the UK, listen to the full series of Intrigue: The Immortals first on 麻豆约拍 Sounds: bbc.in/3WEQS5W