In this episode of Levity, the hosts speak with Benji Leibowitz, the creator of pump.science, a platform that turns lifespan research into an interactive game. The conversation explores how decentralised science (DeSci) can accelerate discoveries, why gamification motivates people to engage with longevity research, and how community-driven experimentation could reshape the future of health and ageing.

Key Points:

A deep dive into how Benji Leibowitz is turning ageing science into a playful, accessible learning experience. The episode explores DeSci, citizen science, and community-driven research for longevity breakthroughs. Pump.science aims to democratise lifespan research by transforming experiments into interactive, game-like challenges.

• Gamifying longevity research: Benji describes pump.science as a platform where users participate in simplified, game-like experiments that mirror real scientific workflows, helping people learn how interventions may influence biological ageing.
• What inspired pump.science: After seeing how difficult it is for ordinary individuals to engage with ageing research, Benji wanted to create a playful, accessible way for anyone to learn how scientists measure lifespan, biomarkers, and interventions.
• DeSci as the future of research: He explains how decentralised science can remove traditional bottlenecks by opening participation, funding, and collaboration to global communities rather than closed institutions.
• Citizen scientists as research drivers: The episode discusses how crowd participation can generate massive datasets, helping researchers test more ideas faster while giving individuals a stronger sense of ownership over scientific progress.
• Turning experiments into a game loop: Benji breaks down how pump.science uses reinforcement, levels, and feedback to keep users engaged, much like a video game, but with real data and educational outcomes.
• Making ageing science accessible: A key goal is to demystify biological ageing. Pump.science helps users understand pathways, interventions, and measurement methods without requiring a PhD.
• Long-term vision for lifespan research: Benji shares hopes that gamified tools will help build a global culture of curiosity around longevity, ultimately accelerating breakthroughs that could extend healthy lifespan.
• Ethical and scientific guardrails: The conversation touches on the need for safe experimentation, transparency, ethical constraints, and ensuring that gamification enhances rather than trivialises scientific integrity.