The Beyond Tomorrow Podcast with Julian Issa

Joe Betts-LaCroix and Retro Biosciences recently raised funding at a $1.8 billion valuation. In his first podcast appearance since the announcement, Joe shares his vision for extending healthy human lifespan and the breakthroughs driving the longevity industry forward.

Joe Betts-LaCroix explains why aging is becoming a legitimate scientific target. He shares how new discoveries are turning longevity from speculation into measurable biology.

The conversation explores how AI is accelerating research, while highlighting why biology remains one of the hardest problems to solve. Even with smarter models, real-world testing and clinical trials still take time.

Joe also discusses Alzheimer's, partial cellular reprogramming, and the future of longevity medicine. He shares why exercise remains the best longevity tool available today and what the next decade could look like for human health.

Joe is the CEO of Retro Biosciences and a longtime entrepreneur focused on science and technology. His mission is to extend healthy human lifespan and accelerate breakthroughs in aging research.

This episode is brought to you by NADclinic, the go-to destination for longevity and human performance. Check them out at https://nadclinic.com.

What You’ll Learn
Why Sam Altman backed Retro Biosciences

The discovery that changed aging research forever

How AI is transforming biotech and longevity

Why curing all diseases in 10 years is unlikely

What Retro's Alzheimer's programs are targeting

Why biology is harder than most people realize

The longevity intervention Joe recommends today

How aging may become a treatable condition

What the longevity industry could look like by 2030

Joe's vision for the future of human health and AI

⏱ Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:16 AI's Role in Longevity
03:26 Will AI Cure All Diseases?
09:41 Why Biology Is So Hard to Solve
13:17 Building Technology That Matters
15:06 Adding 10 Healthy Years to Life
18:08 Inside Retro's Clinical Trial
19:31 The Different Types of Longevity Companies
22:10 Are We Already in the Singularity?
24:46 Why Investors Are Betting on AI Biotech
26:15 AI as the New Electricity
27:01 The Biggest Risks Facing Longevity
30:54 Why More Competition Is Good
32:44 Solving Alzheimer's Disease
34:26 Aging Biology and Future Therapeutics
38:25 The Biggest Aging Myth
39:41 The Most Underrated Voices in Longevity
40:25 The Best Longevity "Hack"
46:13 The Future of Longevity by 2030
50:49 If Tomorrow Was Your Last Day...

Follow Joe:
Website: https://www.retro.bio/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bettslacroix 
X: https://x.com/bettslacroix 

Connect with Julian
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebeyondtomorrowpodcast/  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliankissa/  
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/julian-issa  
Website: www.beyondtomorrowpodcast.com 
Email: [email protected] 

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Could AI help humanity cure aging and dramatically extend human life?

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming medicine and longevity research. Scientists now believe AI could dramatically accelerate drug discovery, personalized healthcare, and treatments for aging itself.

In this episode, Derya Unutmaz explains why he believes humanity could reach “longevity escape velocity” within the next decade. He discusses digital twins, AI-powered drug discovery, superintelligence, and the future of human health.

Derya also explores the risks of advanced AI, arguing that the greatest danger is not the technology itself, but how humans choose to use it.

Derya Unutmaz is an immunologist and longevity researcher whose work focuses on aging, human immunology, and AI-driven biotechnology. His research explores how artificial intelligence could transform disease treatment, lifespan extension, and the future of human health.

This episode is brought to you by NADclinic, the go-to destination for longevity and human performance. Check them out at https://nadclinic.com.

What You’ll Learn
Why Derya believes aging could soon become reversible

How AI is speeding up drug discovery and healthcare

What digital twins could mean for personalized medicine

How AI-powered labs may transform scientific research

The biggest risks and opportunities of advanced AI

Why tools like AlphaFold are changing biology forever

How AI could help prevent disease and extend human lifespan

⏱ Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:02 Can Humans Live Indefinitely?
02:09 How AI Could Accelerate Longevity
08:09 Why Biology Needs Dynamic Data
12:18 AI-Powered Labs and Robot Scientists
16:36 How AI is Empowering Ordinary People
20:51 Why Humans Not AI Are the Real Threat
25:40 The Possibility of Curing Every Disease
28:43 How AI is Revolutionizing Drug Discovery
35:04 The Biggest Risk Over the Next Decade
40:49 The Economic and Social Impact of AI
46:36 AI, Nuclear Weapons, and Existential Risk
52:53 Why Aging is Humanity’s Biggest Threat
55:06 Do You Fear Death?
56:55 Religion, God, and Human Purpose
58:45 Could AI Become Conscious?
01:00:08 What Happens if Humans Stop Aging?
01:05:29 Why Accelerating Science Matters
01:08:54 Why You Should Embrace AI
01:11:46 Can AI Help Cure Cancer?
01:14:23 The Best Advice for the Future
01:16:48 Never Lose Hope

Follow Derya:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derya/about 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/derya_unutmaz_md/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deryaunutmaz 
X: https://x.com/DeryaTR_ 

Connect with Julian
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebeyondtomorrowpodcast/  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliankissa/  
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/julian-issa  
Website: www.beyondtomorrowpodcast.com 
Email: [email protected] 

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Could Cuba become America’s next geopolitical flashpoint?

Cuba remains one of the most politically charged issues in American foreign policy. More than 60 years after the Cuban Revolution, debates around sanctions, regime change, and military intervention are once again intensifying.

In this episode, Mikael Wolfe explains why Cuba is fundamentally different from Venezuela and Iran, and why a U.S. intervention would be far more complicated than many assume. He discusses Donald Trump’s approach to Cuba, the influence of Marco Rubio and Cuban-American politics, and how decades of sanctions have shaped Cuba’s economic crisis.

Mikael also explores Obama-era diplomacy, the growing influence of China and Russia in the region, and whether peaceful political reform in Cuba is still possible without foreign intervention or regime change. Throughout the conversation, he challenges common narratives surrounding democracy, sovereignty, and America’s long relationship with the island.

Mikael Wolfe is a historian, author, and lecturer at the Department of History at Stanford University whose research focuses on modern Latin America, Cuba, environmental history, and U.S.-Cuba relations. His work examines how politics, ideology, and resource conflicts have shaped Cuban society and its relationship with global powers.

This episode is brought to you by NADclinic, the go-to destination for longevity and human performance. Check them out at https://nadclinic.com.

What You’ll Learn
Why Cuba still matters strategically to the U.S.

How Cuba’s system differs from Venezuela’s

Why Florida politics heavily shape Cuba policy

Why a U.S. intervention could happen but fail

How sanctions deepened Cuba’s economic crisis

Why Obama’s Cuba policy briefly changed everything

Whether Cuba can reform without regime change

⏱ Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:14 Trump’s Intentions for Cuba
02:25 Cuba vs. Iran vs. Venezuela
06:10 Why Cuba Still Matters to the US
10:34 The Politics Behind Regime Change
16:26 Can Cuba Be Compared to Taiwan?
20:23 Chances of a US Military Intervention
24:42 What Happens Over the Next Six Months?
25:46 Why Cuba Could Be the Next Target
28:48 What Happened to “America First”?
31:47 Rubio’s Influence on Cuba Policy
38:04 The Castro Legacy
40:47 Why an Intervention Could Fail
41:33 Cuba’s Deepening Economic Crisis
45:55 Is Cuba Really a National Security Threat?
49:13 What Happens if the US Intervenes?
51:19 Cuba, Iran, China & Russia
53:36 Will Cuba Ever Become Democratic?
57:34 Final Thoughts for the World

Follow Mikael:
Website: https://history.stanford.edu/people/mikael-wolfe 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikael-wolfe-5789952aa 

Connect with Julian:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebeyondtomorrowpodcast/  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliankissa/  
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/julian-issa  
Website: www.beyondtomorrowpodcast.com 
Email: [email protected] 

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Can we really slow aging or even reverse it?

Aging is no longer viewed as an untouchable part of life. According to Eric Verdin, scientists are beginning to treat aging itself as a biological process that can be slowed and potentially reversed.

In this episode, Eric explains why longevity research is entering a new era. He discusses how AI, women’s health, metabolic therapies, and partial reprogramming are reshaping medicine. He highlights GLP-1 drugs as one of the most promising tools today and explains how resetting cells to a younger state may one day restore function in aging tissues.

He also shares the most effective strategies available right now: exercise, sleep, nutrition, mental stimulation, and social connection. While supplements like Creatine may help, Eric stresses that lifestyle remains the foundation of long-term health.

Eric Verdin is a physician-scientist and CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, where he leads research focused on extending human healthspan.

What You’ll Learn
Why aging may be treatable

How AI is transforming medicine

Why menopause plays a major role in women’s aging

How GLP-1 drugs may extend healthspan

What partial reprogramming could mean for rejuvenation

The best habits for protecting brain health

Which supplements Creatine, vitamin D, omega-3s, and magnesium Eric Verdin uses

Why he cautions against peptides and IV Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide therapies

⏱ Timestamps
00:00 Intro
01:01 You Want to Be Immortal? Go to Church
02:12 What Excites Eric Verdin Most Right Now?
05:34 How AI Is Transforming Medicine
07:24 Billions Pouring Into Longevity Research
09:12 Why Aging Research Is Hitting an Inflection Point
13:44 Why GLP-1 Drugs Are Changing Longevity
18:50 The Hidden Side Effect: Loss of Pleasure
20:25 Why Metabolic Drugs Protect the Whole Body
21:41 Partial Reprogramming Explained
27:38 Why Brain Aging Matters Most
29:55 The Best Anti-Aging Medicine Available Today
33:24 Fix Your Lifestyle Before Taking Supplements
36:57 Nothing Can Replace Sleep
39:02 The Truth About Peptides
42:32 Why NAD IVs Don’t Make Sense
43:42 The Placebo Effect and NAD Hype
45:16 Can NR IV Therapy Actually Work?
46:09 Health Podcasts: Helpful or Harmful?
47:27 The $101 Million XPRIZE for Longevity
49:26 Eric Verdin’s Final Message to Humanity

Follow Eric:
Website: https://www.buckinstitute.org/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericverdinmd/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-verdin-490212 

Check out Eric’s podcast, We're Not Getting Any Younger... Yet. Visit https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/were-not-getting-any-younger-yet/id1650690747 

Connect with Julian
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebeyondtomorrowpodcast/  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliankissa/  
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/julian-issa  
Website: www.beyondtomorrowpodcast.com 
Email: [email protected] 

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube for more stories from the edge of what is possible.

Are conspiracy theories really increasing or are we just noticing them more?

Conspiracy theories feel more visible than ever. From politics to public health, it seems like belief is rising fast. But the data says otherwise. According to Joseph Uscinski, belief has stayed mostly stable and sometimes even declined.

In this episode, Joseph explains why events like COVID-19 didn’t create more believers. They made existing views more visible. When uncertainty rises, people pay closer attention to others’ beliefs, especially when those beliefs affect them.

He also breaks down the psychology behind conspiracy thinking. These beliefs help people cope with loss or uncertainty. They protect identity. Most conspiracy theories fade quickly. Very few gain traction. The real risk comes when powerful people act on them.

Joseph Uscinski is a political scientist who studies conspiracy theories and public opinion. His work explores why people believe them and how those beliefs shape society.

Joe’s book, Conspiracy Theories: A Primer, is available on Amazon. Visit: https://www.amazon.com/Conspiracy-Theories-Primer-Joseph-Uscinski/dp/1538173247 

This episode is brought to you by NADclinic, the go-to destination for longevity and human performance. Check them out at https://nadclinic.com.

What You’ll Learn
Why conspiracy belief feels higher but isn’t

How COVID made beliefs more visible, not more common

How conspiracy thinking protects identity and eases loss

Why more information doesn’t change minds

Why most theories fade and never go mainstream

When conspiracy thinking becomes dangerous

Why power, not belief, is the real risk

⏱ Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:00 What Are Conspiracy Theories?
04:27 Why People Believe Them
06:58 Did COVID Change Everything?
11:44 The JFK Conspiracy Explained
14:04 When Conspiracies Are Proven True
15:46 The Trump Assassination Theory
18:18 Why Evidence Doesn’t Change Minds
22:20 The Psychology of Belief
25:58 Do Conspiracies Go Mainstream?
28:24 Why Most Theories Die Fast
31:27 The Future of Institutions
33:37 Biggest Risks Ahead
39:02 How Conspiracy Thinking Shapes You
40:40 When Conspiracies Become Dangerous
43:52 Who Believes More, Left or Right?
46:35 What’s Next for Conspiracy Theories 

Follow Joseph:
Website: https://www.joeuscinski.com/ 

Connect with Julian
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebeyondtomorrowpodcast/  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliankissa/  
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/julian-issa  
Website: www.beyondtomorrowpodcast.com 
Email: [email protected] 

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube for more stories from the edge of what is possible.