• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI

2

Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 

3

Meet the 20-year-old CEO who launched a company in high school to solve Gen Z's entry-level job crisis

1

Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI

2

Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 

3

Meet the 20-year-old CEO who launched a company in high school to solve Gen Z's entry-level job crisis
HealthHealth

This $25,000 Physical Is the Perfect Activity for Wealthy Hypochondriacs

By
Laura Entis
Laura Entis
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Laura Entis
Laura Entis
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 21, 2017, 1:31 PM ET
Brain head scan
Roxana Wegner Getty Images

This story has been updated.

Silicon Valley’s obsession with youth goes far beyond venerating 20-something, hoodie-wearing founders. Today, some of the industry’s biggest names are hard at work trying to slow or even reverse the aging process.

Approaches vary — futurist Ray Kurzweil, for example, takes more than 100 pills a day (in his late 60s, he pegs his biological age at somewhere “in the late forties”), while health and biotech investor Peter Thiel (in)famously expressed interest in receiving transfusions of blood from a younger person — but the end-goal of increasing human health and longevity is the same.

Craig Venter, one of the first people to sequence the human genome, believes the answer to significantly prolonging human life is catching disease before symptoms appear. To this end, he founded The Human Longevity project, a San Diego-company that sequences an individual’s unique DNA (rather than relying on an “average” sequence). The hope is that by collecting and analyzing this data, diseases can be identified and treated earlier; in many cases, before someone knows he or she is even sick.

Unsurprisingly, this level of personalization doesn’t come cheap. The screening, which, according to a profile in Forbes, includes an MRI, an ultrasound and CT scan of the heart, a stool sample, and a variety of cognitive tests, costs $25,000. It’s a hypochondriac’s dream and worst nightmare rolled into one (the test tends to produce false positives).

In large part because of these false positives, doctors are skeptical. “Study after study of various kinds of screening measures has shown they do more harm than good,” Steven Nissen, the chairman of cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic, told the outlet.

Learning one’s results could also lead to the possibility of over-action: Change one thing and there is a cascading ripple effect. After sequencing his own genome years ago and realizing he was low on testosterone, Venter started taking supplements, a move that likely helped his subsequent prostate tumor grow, Forbes reports.

For his part, Venter argues that the screening has already saved lives (out of the 500 people who have gotten the physical, 40% have discovered something serious, Venter told the outlet). And as more DNA is sequenced, the hope is that researchers would discover early genetic markers for a variety of disorders.

While Human Longevity is well-funded — Venter raised more than $300 million from investors including GE Ventures — it’s easy to see how the business-side of all this could take off. As the concept of individualized health, which already includes everything from genetic testing startups like 23andMe to diets based on how one’s blood sugar reacts to different foods, gains steam, a full-body, intensely thorough physical doesn’t feel like that far-fetched a next step (or, it doesn’t if you’re a multimillionaire obsessed with staving off the progression of old age).

At the very least, it’s a more palatable option than, say, injecting oneself with the blood of younger specimens.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified how long Human Longevity’s physical exam takes to perform. It is eight hours, not 35 minutes.

About the Author
By Laura Entis
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Health

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Health

hoeg
HealthFDA
RFK ally confirms she was fired by FDA: ‘I learned so much and leave with no regrets’
By Matthew Perrone and The Associated PressMay 16, 2026
22 hours ago
lawyer
CommentaryLaw
Would you hire the lawyer who just got sanctioned for using AI?
By Alexandra SmythMay 16, 2026
1 day ago
lori
Commentarymental health
I run Valvoline Instant Oil Change and work with young people every day. They’re in crisis—and we all have to try to help
By Lori FleesMay 15, 2026
2 days ago
Claude is telling users to go to sleep mid-session and nobody, including Anthropic, seems to fully understand why it keeps doing it
AITech
Claude is telling users to go to sleep mid-session and nobody, including Anthropic, seems to fully understand why it keeps doing it
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMay 14, 2026
3 days ago
Nonprofit CEOs say Trump’s economy is driving surging demand—and they’re pushed to the brink
Future of Workphilanthropy
Nonprofit CEOs say Trump’s economy is driving surging demand—and they’re pushed to the brink
By Sydney LakeMay 14, 2026
3 days ago
Transparent Labs Protein Powder Review (2026): Nutrition Expert Approved
HealthDietary Supplements
Transparent Labs Protein Powder Review (2026): Nutrition Expert Approved
By Emily PharesMay 14, 2026
3 days ago

Most Popular

Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
AI
Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
By Jake AngeloMay 16, 2026
23 hours ago
Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 
Politics
Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 
By Jason MaMay 16, 2026
14 hours ago
Meet the 20-year-old CEO who launched a company in high school to solve Gen Z's entry-level job crisis
Future of Work
Meet the 20-year-old CEO who launched a company in high school to solve Gen Z's entry-level job crisis
By Jake AngeloMay 16, 2026
1 day ago
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
Politics
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
By Jake AngeloMay 12, 2026
5 days ago
‘You’re not a hero, you’re a liability’: Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary warns Gen Z founders to stop glorifying hustle culture
Future of Work
‘You’re not a hero, you’re a liability’: Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary warns Gen Z founders to stop glorifying hustle culture
By Jacqueline MunisMay 16, 2026
23 hours ago
Oil markets could be a month away from the moment of truth. Brace for a 'non-linear' price spike and panic buying, analysts warn
Energy
Oil markets could be a month away from the moment of truth. Brace for a 'non-linear' price spike and panic buying, analysts warn
By Jason MaMay 16, 2026
17 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.