This former rockstar turned scientist wants you to eat less to live longer: Valter Longo traded in his fame as the guitarist for grunge-era band DOT for a career in biochemistry. Now a professor with a long career studying aging and longevity, Longo says that living longer isn’t about finding a magical elixir, but about adopting a mindful approach to eating — and tricking your body.

The land of centenarians: Italy boasts some of the world’s oldest populations, with pockets of communities known for their high volume of people over the age of 100, commonly referred to as Blue Zones. This makes it a haven for researchers like Longo, who believe that a modified Mediterranean diet is the secret to longevity and not genetic factors that can be replicated with anti-aging drugs.

Fasting without fasting: Longo’s research has led him to a plant-based and nut-rich diet — aided by supplements and kale crisps — that mimics the cellular rejuvenation effects of fasting. The scientist sees this as a way to achieve the same benefits of food abstinence minus the starvation. He has patented this method, which he calls the ProLon diet, published best-selling books to promote it, and has even been called the “ Fasting Evangelist ” by Time magazine.

It’s not just about living long, it’s also about living well. Longo’s vision for the future isn’t just about extending our lifespans, but about extending our health and wellbeing. He believes that his faux-fasting approach can help reduce biological aging as well as the illnesses associated with getting older.

Nvidia is doubling down on its healthcare expansion: Theartificial intelligence chip giantannounced two partnerships with Johnson & Johnson and GE Healthcare to use generative AI in surgery and enhance scientific imaging this month. This move underscores the significance of healthcare in Nvidia’s prospective revenue streams beyond its core technological sector, CNBC reports.

Their new tech makes a compelling case: Nvidia — typically known as the manufacturer of chips that power AI models like OpenAI and GPT-4 — also unveiled 25 new AI tools geared towards pharma companies, doctors, and hospitals. To name just one use, the tools can help speed up drug development — which usually takes up to a decade — by screening trns of drug compounds at a time.

“Healthcare, whether it’s biotechnology, chemicals, or drug discovery is a very powerful area,” explained Raj Joshi, senior vice president at Moody’s Ratings. “The reason why Nvidia is so popular today is because it provided the plumbing and the technology for something that you could not do simply before.”

That said, the company has long had an interest in healthcare: Nvidia’s path into healthcare has been ten years in the planning, with earlier products including their Clara and BioNeMo products to aid drug discovery and development.

There’s an industry-wide penchant for AI research among health-tech companies: Around 41% of biotech CEOs are searching for “concrete” ways to incorporate generative AI into their business, according to a survey run by EY last year and mentioned in the article.

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