secured an interview with his mother, princess diana. responding to an independent report, prince william said leaders at the bbc had looked the other way. the corporation has apologised. now on bbc news, click. this week — we meet the biohackers. the super—agers. and the brain trackers. to find out if tech really can stop us from getting old. welcome to click. we're outside again. great to see you in the flesh again. and you. i can't believe it. no matter how long it is since i've seen people,

as soon as i see friends and family again, it's like we've never been apart! yep, too right. although this time round, i think everybody�*s really gone for it with their hair, since the hairdresser�*s reopened. i don't know what you're talking about. i tell you what, though, it is true that we've spent so much time apart in the last year that when we do see people in the reals, you really notice the difference. my parents can't believe how much my kids have grown since they last saw them. the fact that even though we're all getting older on the outside, there are ways to stay younger on the inside by hacking our health. now, if you're anything like me you may be using an activity tracker to log your exercise. but at the moment, we're just scratching the surface of the data that's hidden inside our bodies. aside from exercise, there's genetics, sleep, diet — so many other lifestyle factors that can really make a difference. and there are some people who believe if we can unlock this complete picture of our health, then we might be able to stop or even reverse the ageing process. instead of talking about lifespan, we're now talking about health span — the desire to stay as fit and healthy as possible

for as long as possible, even though the years are ticking on by. though the years have been clocking up on this fine frame, my chronological age, therefore, is 47 but there is something else called a biological age, which is the age that you are inside. now, i've had that checked. have a guess at the results. um, 21? now she is just is taking the mickey. let's find out. king's genomics centre, part of a world—leading research university in london, and where i'm discovering the secrets in my dna. so james, a few weeks ago, i spat into a tube and posted it to you. you're welcome. my epigenetic age is... 44.1. not too bad! yeah, so your biological age is basically seeing how your cells are ageing, the various things such as your diet, how much stress you're under, how much sleep you're getting. it's a nice barometer to predict your future health.

my genes didn'tjust deliver one age though. muhdo uses artificial intelligence to trawl through 850,000 different biological markers to deliver for example, my eye age is 53 but my hearing age is 43.7. and the key thing that scientists now know is that although your genes do set you on your life's course, they are not set in stone. your genetics will underpin most of your predispositions, so they'll give you a positive or a negative. whether that actually comes into fruition is up to you, really, because you flick on these genes with your lifestyle environment. the company has run tests with some 2,500 people, but more research will be needed to take some of its advice from anecdotal evidence to scientific fact. if you want to reduce your memory age then dancing is quite good, apparently.

i've got old eyes? carrots. we've always been told that carrots are quite good for us and that's actually true. have you ever seen a rabbit wearing glasses? now, whether you go the full bugs bunny or whether you samba your way to better brain health, this is about building a personalised picture of health. what works for me will not work for you and vice—versa, but we'll be able to actually pinpoint what your diet needs to look like, how much stress you can be exposed to, what pharmaceuticals you can and cannot take. we can pinpoint them exactly, specifically, to you. ok, i'm going to try to go to bed maybe an hour earlier. i'm going to go for a walk in the morning. what's that going to do to my biological age? so it gamifies genetics. muhdo has partnered with king's college london, where experts say that our biological age isn't fixed. and in fact, it doesn't have to progress in just one direction. the ageing, or biological score, is malleable. the risk of getting an age—related disease such as diabetes can be increased or decreased based on your lifestyle.

and that's led some people who i've met in the past to suggest that we might be able to stop the ageing process altogether. most notably aubrey de gray, who famously suggested that within the next century, we might be able to extend our lifespan by hundreds of years. we develop ways at the molecular and cellular level to repair the damage that the body does to itself throughout life. there's a lot of talk about stopping the ageing process or even reversing the ageing process. towards the end of my lifetime, probably, i think we can have immortality, if you're willing to pay for it. now, genetic trackers are not the only testing tool to help counter ageing. another company has analysed

things called glycans in my blood. these have given an idea of the age of my immune system. in this case, we are looking at sugars on immunoglobulin, which is the most abundant antibodies, so it's a key weapon in our arsenal in our immune system. now, you've measured my biological age at 20. i was flattered for a few seconds and i thought "no, that can't be right!" a 40— or 50—year—old can have a much younger glycan age, and that's really good for you. if you're talking about grey hairs or skin, then i would use a different clock for that. 0k. now, all of these different numbers attached to different bits of my body are leading me to think we are using do you think it's helpful to actually use the word �*age�*? the word �*age�* in its own right must be taken in context of how we are using it. a biological score would be a more sensible way of thinking about your age. and the fact that you can change your biological score is very positive. it's not all doom and gloom —

"i am set to be old and decrepit at a certain time in my life". whatever your personal measurement is, scores like this could flag impending ill—health with a study spotting that a change in your glycans could signal coming arthritis, cardiovascular disease or diabetes up to a decade before onset. 0ur dataset is really good, so it is 150,000 people that some which we've followed for 20—30 years. it's a warning where you can still do something about it and prevent it. and just a small warning — a good score now doesn't give you a free pass to a healthy future. so it changes — it's not something that is going to stay the same throughout. and this is a way for you to know if something particularly

works for you. now, i think i'm going to take some of my results with a pinch of salt — just a pinch, though because that's not good for you either — but there are those who've been tracking their data for more than a decade in an attempt to delay the inevitable. hi, i'm tim. i'm 42 chronologically and 25—32 biologically. i run one of the largest biohacking communities in the world from london. that's the form there. most things i track every day where possible, but some things i track on a monthly basis, such certain blood tests. actually, can we use the right one? i started doing this because i got chronically sick, so i took it upon myself to start researching ways to optimise my health. i've had epigenetic tests, immune tests, hormone tests. you can see how you compare to the general population and you can have professionals look at your data and not just rely on your own

subjective experience. i start my day with natural light — blue light when there is not natural sunrise. i currently track around 50 points of data a day. a health ring which tracks my deep sleep, rem sleep, light sleep, heart rate variability, resting heart rate, respiratory rate and body temperature. i also have one of these. if my heart has been stressed through the night, i know to have a recovery day and take it easy whereas if my vitals are strong, then obviously i will push on and work out harder. blood tracker. i track my blood glucose using a constant glucose monitor and what that does is it tells me my response to certain foods so i can actually personalise my nutrition. some people think it might be extreme, having something in my arm all the time, but for me, living a happy, healthy life is more important than peoplejudging me for having a few bits of tech. this is my daily supplements here. my digestive supplements. this is my back—up draw — my dishwasher. it is really about being the ceo of your own health. there may not be double—blind studies behind some of these things but remember, all science is evolving. some things do work long—term, some things don't. hyperbaric oxygen therapy really does help the body heal and repair properly. so there is much more pressure

in here which means we dissolve more oxygen in the blood. it gives me extra mental clarity and i feel very zen in it. you wouldn't even know that anything was happening. 0ccasionally, your ears pop a little bit. if i have stuff going on and i need to chill out, then i do meditate. sensory feedback helps me relax. it's like the perfect balance between nature and technology. some may say it's a contradiction of terms, needing to use technology to unwind, but the point is most people use technology to unwind already — think about netflix. a typical evening for me consists of blue—blocking glasses, red light when you don't get to see sunset, going digital—free and really having some time to myself. there is such a thing as too much data. you can drive yourself mad tracking too many points. stress is bad for health, obviously, so letting go a bit is also important. if you're not sleeping well, track that. if you're bloating, track your gut bacteria.

it can become a hobby, admittedly, but it is really important that you do the things that you need to do for you. some of my colleagues would like to live to around 180. i want to die as young as possible, as late as possible — that's the goal. hello and welcome to the week in tech! it was the week royal mail announced trialling autonomous drones to deliver drones remotely from mainland uk to the isles of scilly. elon musk tweeted that tesla will no longer accept bitcoin as payment for its vehicles, due to climate change concerns. and after a year of being iphone—only, audio—based social networking app clubhouse became available to android users in the us. drivers are suffering petrol shortages as a result of a ransomware attack on a major oil pipeline in the united states. a cybercriminal gang

called darkside has forced colonial pipeline to shut down the main part of its network, causing the price of petrol to go up to its highest level in nearly seven years. the uk government launched its new 0nline safety bill, which outlines ways of keeping children safe, stopping racial hate and protecting democracy online. it received criticism from campaigners, claiming the bill was too vague and fines too low. and finally, if you want to understand cats — yes, you've guessed it, robots! a group of researchers from osaka university have developed a 4—legged robot which reproduces they can now study the locomotion of the robot instead of experimenting on living, moving animals. what a purrfect way to protect our feline friends! how to extend your life is a famous obsession here in silicon valley. and the answer may be found in so—called super—agers. i am beryl voss, and i'm 88 years old. she is a picture of health.

twice a week beryl volunteers here at a food hall for san francisco's hungry. i'll be honest, when i first saw how old beryl was i was shocked, and thought perhaps it was a typo on our database. this is a joy because it isjust 12 blocks down the hill to work. she's a keen hiker and has a boyfriend. he's younger, he's only 77. they might call me a cougar, i guess. beryl�*s part of a study into why people like her have aged so well and what science can learn from her. joel kramer is overseeing that research. so we've already seen really significant gains in longevity over the past 20—30 years. the increase in health span though hasn't really kept up with the increase in lifespan.

in silicon valley, problems always have solutions, and ageing isjust another problem. the general goal of these companies is pretty simple — try and work out how we age, and then produce a product that will prevent it, or at least slow it down. much of the research is focused on identifying the things that are common among the very old and very healthy, and then replicating them. they already are humans who are living to like 100 plus in really good health and we are trying to figure out what is different about those people at the molecular level to help the rest of us age better. you have these very large datasets, ideally human datasets too, and you are taking this agnostic approach where you are not saying oh, we know for sure it's this one particular biological pathway, we are saying we don't know, we're just going to let the data tell us. bioage labs is still in its research phase, it hasn't released

a product yet. however there are companies in the health span field that have products on the market right now. elysium health is a company based in new york that makes dietary supplements. its product, matter, is aimed at slowing down brain ageing. the problem is the brain shrinks after you reach a certain age. elysium claims their products can prevent the brain from shrinking, and its efficacy is based on a study at the university of oxford looking into why brains reduce in size as we get older. there is established data that says that matter will really be helpful because there is nothing else out there that people can take that really works. however, the product is a combination of b vitamins and omega 3, which have both been readily available for years. what's new here is the dose, it's higher, and the right combination of b vitamins. and as for anyone claiming a healthspan miracle drug, well, joel kramer says he is sceptical. i think would call it premature science. we are a long ways away from being able to identify any of those molecules, so that any companies that are out

there touting the efficacy of some of these compounds are really selling you a bill of goods, it's more snake oil medicine at this point. now we are working on a trip to new zealand in february, a 3.5 week hiking trip. we do know lots of things about why some people live longer and healthier lives than others. but many of the answers may not surprise you. probably the strongest recommendation is to choose your parents very well. in other words, get lucky and have really good longevity genes. anything that is good for your heart is going to be good for your brain, so a heart healthy diet, heart healthy lifestyle, physical exercise is really important. silicon valley is trying to distil why people like beryl

are so active at nearly 90. but at the moment, her wonder drug is still good genes, exercise and a positive outlook on life. my secret? i don't know, friends, people, nature, everything i love. i want to be like that at 88! forget all about hacking and implant stuff we saw earlier on the show, i just want to age well. come on, don't you want to be a cyborg? i'd love to be a cyborg. oh, i'm not ready for that. now, tech to stop us ageing is all well and good, but today there were 125 million people aged 80 or over, and many of them are already living with age—related illnesses. get up and sometimes have a cup of tea in bed. and wash and dress, have breakfast, probably go out for a walk if this lovely weather continues. and just enjoy life.

meet 89—year—old eileen. she is one of 50 million people around the world living with alzheimer's or another form of dementia. to aid her independence, eileen�*s family, who live some distance away, have had her flat fitted with sensors. these track her movement and her use of the kettle and fridge. mum had a good night last night, we can see from the graph. she did, yeah, i can see that, the last couple of nights i noticed there was more frequent and close together visits to the bathroom. eileen�*s family and care team used the data to make positive changes, like moving her clock to prompt her to make cups of tea to stay hydrated. we are already looking at a bed sensor and potentially a special cup that will detect whether someone is having enough to drink. it's about providing intelligence, not data. you can get so many different devices that willjust stream out lots of data, because

ultimately what people want to know is really just three things. is mum 0k? has something gone wrong that i need to respond to immediately? is something changing over time that i could look at and create a better care outcome for her? like this bio—dose pillbox, filled by a robot and then checked by a pharmacist. it tracks the medication being taken out of it, an alarm goes off if the dose has been missed, and if it is still not taken, a loved one can be alerted. but striking the balance between care and privacy can be challenging. the sensors are there, but i am not aware of them all the time, just the secure feeling that i am cared for, and that there is always somebody there for me. it's so great to see technology help patients and their families.

and when it comes to those living with dementia, a new brain analysis tool could help provide earlier diagnosis and even potentially assist in creating better drugs to help. jen copestake has been finding out more. using tools to monitor patients remotely has become more pressing since the coronavirus pandemic. a collaborative study called radar—ad aims to help see how alzheimer's patients can be monitored in new and improved ways. one of the assessment tools in the study is an augmented reality app called altoida, which is showing spatial navigation and memory function. it works by asking the person to choose three virtual objects and place them around a room. they then have to remember where they placed the objects, what order it was and what the actual object was. device: go to where you want to place the heart. _ as well as this memory test, off—the—shelf technology is being repurposed to. this is a medallion camera

that the participant wears around their neck, it captures digital photographs on a cyclic basis. so it doesn't take constant footage but it does provide valuable contextual information. while alzheimer's is not a movement disorder, analysis trackers can gather useful data points. to go on the instep of each foot and the final one goes on the right hip. we know that as cognitive decline worsens it does cause changes in walking patterns, so they might suddenly change direction or stop because they are not sure where they are, they've realised they are going in the wrong direction. in the uk, over 850,000 people are living with dementia. do you want me to run through the instructions again briefly? normally, dementia is diagnosed through a series of paper memory tests, in person with a doctor. but these tests lack nuance and can be learned by the patient over time. john and his partner richard are here in crowborough hospital in east sussex testing a new app called cognetivity which aims to prevent this.

so if you see an animal, you're clicking on the right john has recently been diagnosed with alzheimer's disease. there were many verbal tests and number tests. i am used to people respecting me and not asking you silly questions. to be in that position i think was difficult at first, really. instead of lists of questions, the app flashes rapid images. each picture is either an image of an animal or not an animal. the user indicates their choice by pressing the left or right side of the ipad screen. as it cannot be learned, the test gives an objective analysis of the patient�*s neurological state, even when repeated multiple times. what the test does is use rapid visual categorisation. it looks to see how quickly the brain can process complicated information.

is it always an animal or a landscape? so, it's always an animal or not an animal. and that is a very important aspect of the test, because the human brain is very finely tuned to be able to pick up on animal stimuli. the use of this will make it easier to assess larger numbers of patients, but more importantly it speeds the referral process and results in early diagnosis and early treatment for patients, which is exceptionally important. another possible way to remotely measure cognitive function is through brainwave analysis. headsets like this one from belfast brainwave bank could be used at home to track changes in brainwave activity. the eeg scanner connects to a smartphone app to record and analyse data. as subtle changes in brainwave activity can be observed up to ten years before symptoms of dementia present, these technologies could be vital in early diagnosis. and the more individual data that is collected could feed into bespoke treatment plans and drug development.

wow, what a show! i feel a bit younger just from watching it. do you? i'm actually feeling a bit concerned i haven't been doing the things i should have been doing for anti—ageing. come on, if you haven't been doing them, no—one has! listen, go and do them this week, i'll see you back in your box next week. that is all we have got time for this week though. as ever you can keep up with the team on social media — find us on youtube, instagram, facebook and twitter at @bbcclick. thanks for watching and we will see you soon. bye— bye. hello again. thursday brought us an unusually deep area of low pressure for the time of year. it brought some very powerful—looking seas to the coastline of newquay in cornwall — there, a look at the pretty impressive waves battering the coastline here — and the strongest winds were around the coasts of

south west england and wales. the strongest gusts were well into the 60s to low 70s of miles an hour, peaking with a gust of 73 mph in pembrey sands in south wales. and, of course, it was pretty wet as well. the wettest weather is across this central swathe of the uk. 36mm for north wales. but in sharp contrast to that, it was mainly dry across north west scotland and there was barely a drop of rain across the south east. the rain will continue to be variable on into friday, thanks to ourfamiliar slow—moving friend, our area of low pressure here. so we've got rain at the moment. the rain's getting heavier, the winds a bit stronger across eastern scotland but for many of us, it will stay pretty blustery over the next few hours with those strong gale force gusts of wind pummelling the coasts and the hills. more rain to come as well. but it's not too cold as we head into friday morning. now, the wettest weather through the day will be across wales, northern england, eastern scotland. the rain not amounting to much for north west scotland. it will ease off in northern ireland and there probably won't be that much in the south east, but the winds will be very strong,

gusting to 50—60 mph around those english channel coasts, perhaps 70 mph gusts somewhere like the needles, the west coast of the isle of wight, and those temperatures disappointing. just 13 in london. well, it should be about 19 at this time of year. saturday, brighter, but there'll be some showers around, some of them heavy and thundery. sunday sees a return of more wet weather pushing in from the west. it will also be quite windy. so, saturday's weather first of all. might be some rain there or thereabouts in the south, certainly quite a few showers across eastern areas as we start the day. the best of any brighter weather probably developing across northern and western areas of the uk as we go through the afternoon. and those temperatures still pretty disappointing — 12 in glasgow, should be about 16 at this time of year. and sunday, bright start with some sunshine. this band of rain is going to move in from the west with strengthening winds followed by showers in northern ireland later in the day. well, some of those could be pretty heavy as well. and those temperatures, 11—12 degrees celsius — really poor for this stage of may. and even into next week, there'll be showers around.

this is bbc news. our top stories: horns blare. celebrations on the streets of gaza as israel and the palestinian militants agree to a ceasefire after 11 days of deadly conflict. the truce appears to be holding as dawn breaks in gaza city. this is the scene live. in other news: prince william attacks the bbc after an inquiry heavily criticises the broadcaster over its interview with princess diana. it brings indescribable sadness to know that the bbc�*s failures contributed significantly to herfear, paranoia and isolation that i remember from those final years with her. india's virus sorrow: the final messages of a young motherfrom delhi, recorded just before she died.