Professor Neugebauer, we live in a time when renowned researchers are now even talking about immortality or at least an extreme extension of life. When you hear that as a scientist, are you interested, alarmed – or is it simply megalomania?
Of course, the thought of prolonging life is very gratifying for all of us. Everyone wants to live – healthy – as long as possible. And that’s why there’s a lot of interest in it. However, another important question is linked to this: If people deal with it, then of course it costs money. Such research, like other research, whether knowledge-driven or application-driven, has to find its justification somewhere. Especially if this is financed with public funds, it must also be preceded by an ethical consideration. When millions of people around the world are struggling to survive or to eat, is it a priority to do research on nutrition so that the living can live sensibly? Or is it a priority that people in wealthy nations, and maybe only very wealthy people there, prolong their lives? Both have their justification as scientific questions. But in my opinion, prioritization requires a corresponding discourse.