I was reminded today that the Foresight Institute is holding an event next month, on June 25th-26th in the Bay Area, California. Some of the speakers and topics are relevant to those of us interested in longevity science, such as William Andregg of Halcyon Molecular, a fellow who has no problems in speaking his mind when it comes to achieving radical extension of the healthy human life span. The conference reminder came with a $50 discount to the conference registration price for Fight Aging! readers - just enter FIGHTAGING when registering.

Join friends old and new this summer at Google's Mountain View headquarters in Silicon Valley as we explore the future of nanotech with a rockstar lineup of nanotech experts and entrepreneurs.

Want to understand the science behind the dream? Find out why Sir Fraser Stoddart's successful development of molecular switches and motor-molecules merited him a knighthood. Talk molecular robotics with Ari Requicha, or molecular computation with quantum theorist William A Goddard, III. See single atoms with microscopist Andrew Bleloch, hear how Feynman Prize-winner Christian Schafmeister builds macromolecules, and find out how rising star Matt Francis is shaking up the world of synthetic biology.

Want innovative entrepreneurial applications? Hear word from the nanostartup trenches with Halcyon Molecular founder William Andregg and "Mad Scientist" One-Nano CEO Rob Meagley. Find out about new nanotech initiatives from IBM's decade-long, worldwide Director of Physical Sciences, Thomas Theis. Learn the practical impact of nanotech innovation in a forecast from futurist expert Paul Saffo, or the problems of financing them with Founders Fund partner and Paypal founder Luke Nosek.

For some pointers as to why progress in the field of nanotechnology is important for longevity science, you might look back in the Fight Aging! archives. Bear in mind that, as a bottom line, everything that goes wrong as we age is caused by atoms and molecules that are out of place. Progress in biotechnology is very much a matter of learning how to - as precisely as possible - identify and manipulate certain problematic atoms and molecules:

• Dreams of Molecular Nanotechnology
• The Desires Made Real By a Mature Molecular Manufacturing Technology Base

Systems that can identify, manage and place trillions of molecules accurately are not a pipe dream; after all, we are already surrounded by examples. You, for example, are just such a system, albeit somewhat slow at self-assembly to full size. There's nothing in the laws of physics that jumps out and says we can't do this. It's just a matter of time.

If you have the technology base to build a nanoforge to assemble a brick, then you also have the technology base capable of simultaneously assembling and controlling a hundred million medical nanorobots of arbitrary design and programming. Or an artifical lung better than the real thing, or replacements for immune cells that never get old or worn. You get the idea. A brick is just as complex as any portion of the human body if you have to build the thing molecule by molecule; more fault-tolerant, but just as complex.