Take a look at yourself.
Are you a very old baby
or a baby-like old person?
Uh oh.
Your biological clock is moving backward.
Now, if you’ve seen
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,
you watched Brad Pitt grow
from an old man baby
into a baby-like older man.
But this condition is
somewhat different in real life.
Progeria, or Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome,
is a rare genetic disorder
that causes children to age fast
after they turn two years old.
Their physical growth slows dramatically.
They lose their hair,
and many of them die around age 13.
Even though it’s not really like the story,
progeria is commonly called
Benjamin Button disease.
But in the spirit of keeping things light,
let’s give you the Hollywood experience.
But be warned.
Your life wouldn't be as glamorous.
Aging backward would give you a glimpse into what your future self could've been.
But what if you could alter your fate and the world today?
Get ready for the immersive and multi-layered experience of Future Now.
It's the year 2084.
Humans dominate the Solar System, artificial intelligence rules our lives and five factions battle for our fate.
Future Now unravels the mysteries of this hopeful and often frightening society that mirrors our world today.
And you're not just watching a series of videos as this universe unfolds.
You're part of an interactive community, collaborating with our creators,
molding the storylines through discussions, polls and so much more.
Yeah, that's right, humanity's fate is in your hands.
Are you ready?
Subscribe and join the growing online community creating the next steps
in human evolution on Earth and beyond the stars.
Don't let others decide your destiny.
Choose who you will become and explore the world of Future Now.
Your birth would be mostly unremarkable.
As your mom and dad
get their first glimpse
of their beautiful baby,
they wouldn’t be concerned
by your crinkled, old-looking face.
Babies can look a bit funny, right?
But from this point on,
everything would change.
You’d quickly grow from the size of a baby
to the size of a small adult.
This would be a shock for your parents.
From one day to the next,
their baby turned into an older adult
with dry skin,
brittle bones and wispy gray hair.
Like other babies,
you’d have a vulnerable immune system,
limited mental development
and you’d cry a lot.
But you’d be crying
from the aches of arthritis.
Your parents would have to be
extra cautious when holding you
to not break any of your fragile bones.
By your first birthday,
you’d appear to be in your mid-70s.
But you wouldn’t be telling stories
to your grandkids.
You’d barely know how to talk yet.
The rest of your childhood
would be anything but ordinary too.
Cognitively, you’d be
as young as your peers,
but you’d look like a retiree.
The pains of growing younger
would continue into your teens.
While other kids your age
are going through puberty,
you’d experience a lot
of the same feelings.
“I’m too old to be young.”
But since you'd look about 60 years old,
it could be tough to ask your crush
out on a date.
Even when you’re 18,
dating would be weird.
Dating people your age
would spark a lot of conversations.
But going out with middle-aged people
who look your physical age
would be hard too.
You wouldn’t have the sexual
or life experiences that
someone in their 50s might be looking for.
And you would only be beginning
your professional life,
so you wouldn’t have much money
to go out on fancy, grown-up dates.
You’d also have nearly no work experience.
But you’d look like you were nearing
the end of your career.
Potential employers
wouldn’t understand why you seem
so inexperienced and unqualified for jobs.
As you approach your 30s,
you might feel more or less normal
for the first time in your life.
Sure, you’d look a lot older
than most of your friends,
but you could finally blend in
at around age 37.
The real challenge now
would be facing reality again.
If you have a romantic partner,
you might feel you’re on
different journeys.
At 50, you’d have had a lot
of life experience.
But you'd look like
a recent college graduate,
so people wouldn’t be inclined
to believe you.
“Nah, I don't believe it.”
Job interviews would be strange again
because employers might think
you're a little too confident for your age.
You and your partner
could have trouble going out together
because others would see an age gap
between you.
In private, your sex drives
would likely be out of sync.
You’d be in the physical prime of your life
while your partner's libido
would start slowing down.
Finally, you'd be entering old age.
And your life would be weird again.
You could be a grandparent,
but you’d look the same age
as your grandkids.
That could be tricky to explain to them.
And as you reach the end of your life,
you’d need a lot of help.
You'd experience
problems with your memory.
And physically,
you’d be losing your fine motor skills.
Your children would probably
need to feed you
and carry you everywhere.
But you’d be really cute.
Your death would be truly bizarre.
And while there are several ways
you could go,
maybe you’d continue growing
younger and younger, shrinking cell by cell.
Eventually, you’d just be gone.
Well, you had a unique life.
You learned a lot about facing challenges
since you were usually out of sync
with everyone else your birth age.
Maybe it would be better
if you somehow stayed young forever.
But that’s a story for another WHAT IF.