SuperHuman

When an astrologer tells Mangesh that he’ll (probably) die early, he takes it in stride. But his family and friends (not to mention all the Don’t Die longevity influencers on his FYP) feel differently… and besides, if science can keep his brain sharp and his tennis game strong for longer, why not take advantage? So he visits Dr. Nir Barzelai, the world’s leading aging researcher, and Dr. Ron Primas, an elite longevity doctor, to figure out what he should do. Plus: A chat with Ken Reid from TV Guidance Counselor about age in pop culture, from the Golden Girls to “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.” Disclosure: The experts we spoke with want to be clear that although they have some minor quibbles with Bryan Johnson, they’re grateful for the fact that he’s started the conversation on longevity. Any insinuation that he’s got weird vibes is ours. Listen to Ken Reid’s podcast, TV Guidance Counselor Learn more about Nir Barzelai’s Longevity Genes Project and his book, Age Later Learn more about Ron Primas’s longevity and concierge medicine practice Read Cynthia Kenyon’s groundbreaking 1993 study of worm longevity Check out the Ray Kurzweil Library Special thanks to Azadi Records and Bliss Samsa for their beautiful tracks, and Botany for the score.  Episode collage art by Vahini Shori.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris and Sam joined Michael Easter on his podcast, Two Percent with Michael Easter, to break down the aftermath of the Enhanced Games. Almost no world records fell. Clean athletes kept beating the enhanced ones. They get into what it was actually like to be there, what the billionaires behind it are really selling, and what happens next.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What exactly is wrong with doping? It sounds like a simple question until you try to answer it. Dr. April Henning has spent her career studying exactly that. She’s a professor at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh and one of the world’s leading experts on the history of anti-doping. She walks us through how we got here from the 1904 Olympics, the East German state doping program, to Ben Johnson’s infamous 1988 gold medal. April makes a case that the system built to keep sports clean has been failing athletes. Maybe the Enhanced Games are forcing a reckoning that’s long overdue.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does it actually feel like to use performance-enhancing drugs? Not the results everyone sees on the outside - the real stuff. The rage in the car on the way to the gym. The panic attack at midnight, The thought about ripping open a training partner’s rib cage. Dr. Mike Israetel has a PhD in sport physiology, co-founded fitness company RP Strength, and is one of the most candid voices on the internet about performance enhancement. He pulls back the curtain on what these drugs actually do to your body, your mind, and your relationships. And he makes a surprising prediction that anabolic steroids could become obsolete within a decade.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Enhanced Games are finally here. We arrive at a makeshift arena on the Las Vegas Strip not knowing quite what to expect. Hours pass, event after event, and the world records don’t come. Then something even more unexpected starts happening. It all comes down to one final race, and one last chance to prove that this whole experiment was worth it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.