00:00 Regular transfusions of the blood of a younger, physically fit donor can significantly retard the aging process.
00:06 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most ridiculous or extreme lengths
00:11 people throughout history have gone to as a means of extending their lifespans.
00:15 I will need more gold if I am to continue supplying you.
00:18 Number 10. Brian Johnson
00:22 He's 45, but he wants the body of his 18-year-old self.
00:26 As a tech founder and venture capitalist, Brian Johnson has made millions creating and funding
00:31 companies that drive scientific process. Since 2021, however, a lot of his money - $2 million
00:37 a year, precisely - has gone towards an experimental anti-aging program called Project Blueprint.
00:44 I'm training to slow my speed of aging and maintain optimal health.
00:48 Johnson made headlines for his extreme attempts at immortality, which include consuming over
00:53 100 daily supplements and adhering to a strict dietary and sleep regimen.
00:58 My body is apparently repairing itself adequately to my exercise protocol.
01:02 At one point, the tech CEO even tried to freeze his biological clock
01:07 by receiving blood plasma transfusions from his teenage son. Despite being in his 40s,
01:12 Johnson claims that this project has given him the heart of a 37-year-old,
01:17 the skin of a 28-year-old, and the lungs of an 18-year-old.
01:20 Kuhn is 45, but he wants the body of his 18-year-old self.
01:26 Number 9. Pope Innocent VIII. Back in the 15th century, there was very little
01:31 known about the practice of blood transfusion and its actual benefits. One of the earliest
01:36 recorded instances of this practice reportedly involved the Catholic Pope Innocent VIII.
01:41 He would drink the blood of children.
01:43 Need it be said that this was a time of evil, corruption, and devilry.
01:49 The story goes that in 1492, the Pope became deathly ill and could hardly ingest any substance
01:56 other than a woman's breast milk.
01:58 But a dark shadow, my silhouette, they will not see me because I do not exist.
02:04 Apparently believing that blood itself held the essence of life, the Pope's physicians
02:09 attempted to restore his health by feeding him with the blood of pre-teen boys.
02:13 It is said that many young boys were drained of all their blood, killing them in the process.
02:18 Tragically, this effort not only failed to revitalize the yelling Pope, who eventually
02:23 succumbs to a fever, but it also reportedly claimed the lives of his young blood donors.
02:28 Number 8. James Stroll. The Coalition for Radical Life Extension is an American
02:43 non-profit that strives to eliminate the suffering of aging.
02:46 To his credit, the organization's founder, a real estate investor named James Stroll,
02:51 actually walks the talk.
02:52 Stroll's quest to significantly increase human longevity was reportedly inspired by his
03:03 grandmother's death during his childhood.
03:05 He has since become a life extensionist with a rigorous health regimen.
03:10 Stroll ingests about 70 supplements, including a diabetic drug held as "the aspirin of anti-aging,"
03:23 as well as pills that nourish his brain and energize his mitochondria.
03:28 He also claims to bolster his immune system by taking a cold swim every morning,
03:32 and frequently uses a pulsating electromagnetic mat that he insists "opens up the veins."
03:39 Number 7. Diane Deportier. Just like the outrageous regimen of tech billionaires today,
03:50 the elite in 16th century France had their own miracle product for eternal youth, drinkable gold.
03:56 Diane Deportier, a royal mistress to King Henry II and a highly influential figure,
04:01 may have met her end due to this so-called elixir.
04:04 Deportier reportedly consumed the substance regularly to preserve her famed beauty.
04:14 She is said to have had the looks of a 30-year-old even well into her 60s,
04:24 seemingly lending credence to the drinkable gold's power.
04:28 However, in 2009, experts analyzed her remains and discovered unusually high levels of gold
04:44 in her hair. They believe that, instead of granting her immortality,
04:48 ingesting the substance actually led to Deportier's demise.
04:52 [Music]
04:59 Number 6. Alexander Bogdanov. The quest to preserve life through blood transfusions
05:05 may have started with Pope Innocent VIII, but it certainly didn't end there.
05:08 "Alexander Bogdanov is in the midst of conducting experiments
05:12 with one ultimate goal in mind - human rejuvenation."
05:16 In the 1920s, Russian revolutionary and physician Alexander Bogdanov began working on a method to
05:23 achieve eternal youth through blood transfusions. "To initially fund would be the world's first
05:27 institute of hematology and blood transfusion." Following a series of experiments, Bogdanov
05:32 claimed that infusions of younger blood had not only rejuvenated his appearance,
05:37 but it also significantly improved his declining eyesight. "After undergoing 11 transfusions using
05:43 the blood of younger donors." However, these transfusions would ultimately prove fatal for
05:47 Bogdanov. In 1928, he received blood from a student who had both malaria and tuberculosis.
05:54 Although the student eventually recovered from the illnesses, Bogdanov wasn't as fortunate.
05:58 He passed away in April of that year. "What is it?" "It's not good news." "I guess that."
06:05 "You got tuberculosis." "I'm really sorry for you, son. It's a hell of a thing."
06:12 Number 5. Peter Thiel. Following in the footsteps of Alexander Bogdanov,
06:17 American billionaire Peter Thiel seems to have zeroed in on blood transfusions as the way to
06:22 extend his life. Estimated to be worth over $9 billion, Thiel reportedly aspires to live until
06:28 he is 120 years old. "What causes people to age? Why does it happen? What could you do about it?
06:33 And so I think that's a very promising." This desire drove him to invest in anti-aging research
06:38 from as early as 2006. He has also admitted to ingesting human growth hormone pills to maintain
06:44 his bone and muscle health. Thiel has since focused his attention on "parabiosis," which
06:50 is the scientific term for the rejuvenating blood transfusions. "Regular transfusions of
06:54 the blood of a younger, physically fit donor can significantly retard the aging process."
06:59 He has even taken further steps to cryogenically preserve his body,
07:03 hoping to be revived in the future if he doesn't hit his longevity goal.
07:07 "Irresistible to women, deadly to his enemies, a legend in his own time."
07:12 Number 4. Sam Altman. "The billionaire founder of OpenAI paid millions to be killed."
07:19 Paying a company to kill you so you can live forever might sound bizarre,
07:23 but that's what tech billionaire and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is doing. Well, for the most part.
07:29 Precisely, Altman paid $10,000 to the startup Nectome to end his life and upload the contents
07:36 of his brain to a computer, where they can be stored forever. "In 2018, Sam invested in Nectome.
07:42 It's a startup that wants to upload human brains into the cloud to give them eternal life."
07:46 The company claims that with their special embalming fluid, they can "preserve your
07:51 brain well enough to keep all of its memories intact." The biggest issue in consciousness
07:56 transfer isn't the time or being able to read or write, but it's going to be mapping the brain
08:01 accurately. But this technique is only viable if the brain is fresh. Hence, Nectome has to terminate
08:07 the patient's life beforehand. In 2018, Altman became one of only about two dozen people to
08:12 sign up for the procedure. "Look around you. I have never been more alive." Number 3. Charles-Édouard
08:20 Braun-Sekar. This Mauritian scientist gained notoriety for his unconventional methods and
08:26 eccentric behavior. In the world of hormone study, he is famous for the Braun-Sekar elixir,
08:32 which he claimed could make people look younger and live longer. "It is hardly possible to explain
08:38 the effects I have observed on myself otherwise than by admitting that the liquid injected
08:43 possesses the power of increasing the strength of many parts of the human organism." In his later
08:48 years, Braun-Sekar began injecting himself with extracts from the testicles of guinea pigs and
08:55 dogs. He posited that these substances boosted his strength and enhanced his sexual performance.
09:04 However, as he was the only participant in his experiment, and there was no way of validating
09:15 his results, the elixir was derided in the scientific community. Braun-Sekar's testicular
09:21 extracts may have made him stronger, but they failed to grant him any substantial longevity
09:25 as he died at the age of 76. Number 2. Elisabeth Báthory. Regarded by Guinness World Records as
09:32 the most prolific female murderer, Elisabeth Báthory is said to have tortured and killed as
09:38 many as 650 girls and women. Due to her status as a countess in Hungary, Báthory seemingly evaded
09:44 the law for years, until she was finally arrested in 1612. During her trial, numerous witness
09:51 statements were presented, though many have since been disputed as they relied on hearsay.
09:55 One popular claim among witnesses was that Báthory regularly bathed in the blood of her young
10:08 victims in order to maintain her youth and beauty. As punishment for her alleged crimes,
10:21 Báthory was confined to a castle for the rest of her life, eventually passing away at age 54.
10:27 Number 1. Qin Shi Huang. Qin Shi Huang was the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty in China,
10:49 ruling from the age of 13 until his death at 49. The emperor was reportedly
10:57 so terrified of leaving this world that he actively sought the elixir of life in his later years.
11:02 His quest reportedly led him to ingest mercury, thinking that it would grant him immortality.
11:24 Needless to say, this failed to work. In 2010 BCE, after serving as emperor of a unified China
11:30 for 11 years, Qin Shi Huang's worst fears came to pass, as he fell ill and ultimately passed away.
11:36 Although the exact cause of death is technically unknown, it is believed to be linked to
11:45 mercury poisoning. What links would you be willing to go to to ensure you lived forever?
11:50 Let us know in the comments below! Did you enjoy this video? Check out these other clips
11:59 from WatchMojo, and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.
12:03 Thanks for watching!
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