A new competition by the XPRIZE Foundation is offering $101 million to researchers if they discover therapies that allow seniors to perform like when they were 10 to 20 years younger. 

For today’s episode, I talked with Dr. Peter Diamandis, XPRIZE’s founder and executive chairman. Under Peter’s leadership, XPRIZE has launched 27 previous competitions with over $300 million in prize purses. 

The lastest contest aims to enhance healthspan, or the period of life when older people can play with their grandkids without any restriction, disability or disease. The biggest prize for this competition, called XPRIZE Healthspan, is $81 million for improvements that restore cognition, muscle and immunity by two decades. Sponsors include Hevolution Foundation, a nonprofit, and Chip Wilson, the founder of Lululemon and the nonprofit SOLVE FSHD.

In our conversation, Peter explains why exponential technologies make the current era the most exciting time in human history. We discuss the best mental outlook for becoming truly innovative; how to overcome the negativity bias in ourselves and in mainstream media; how Peter has shifted his own mindset to become more positive; his personal recommendations for healthy lifestyle; the future of education; and the importance of democratizing tech and innovation, among many other topics.

In addition to Peter’s role with XPRIZE, he's the Executive Founder of Singularity University. In 2014, Fortune named him one of the “World’s 50 Greatest Leaders.” He has started over 25 companies in health-tech, space, venture capital and education. Peter is the author of multiple New York Times bestselling books, linked below, and holds degrees in molecular genetics and aerospace engineering from MIT, as well as an M.D. from Harvard University.

Show links

New XPRIZE Healthspan

Peter Diamandis bio 

27 XPRIZE competitions and counting

Peter Diamandis books 

Singularity University

Life Force by Peter Diamandis and Tony Robbins

Peter Diamandis Twitter

Longevity Insider newsletter – AI identifies the news

Peter Diamandis Longevity Handbook

Making Sense of Science features interviews with leading medical and scientific experts about the latest developments in health innovation and the big ethical and social questions they raise. The podcast is hosted by science journalist Matt Fuchs