The search for the Fountain of Youth has intrigued and challenged scientists for centuries. Now, longevity is a buzzword – a multi-billion dollar industry with myriad interventions that could help us live longer and better. But are we any closer to fully understanding what it takes to extend healthy lifespan or healthspan?

Nicklas Brendborg is a biotechnology researcher and the author of Jellyfish Age Backwards: Nature’s Secrets to Longevity. The Copenhagen-based PhD student explores, with a critical eye, some of the fundamental questions related to aging science and mankind’s quest to push the boundaries of healthy living. In this LLAMA podcast, with Peter Bowes, Nicklas explains how some animals have already achieved immortality and why the mechanisms behind aging continue to challenge researchers.