The sad but inevitable truth is that we’re all going to die.

Advances in healthcare and medicine mean we could live longer, healthier lives than ever before but our physical bodies are always likely to have an expiration date.

But what if our brains could live on forever without our bodies?

That’s the idea behind brain uploading (also known as mind uploading) or whole brain emulation (WBE).

It’s more likely to feature in science-fiction than in science labs but that hasn’t stopped it from gaining a resurgence thanks to advances in biotechnology and artificial intelligence.

It’s now become a valid topic of discussion among neuroscientists, futurists, philosophers and even transhumanists.

The Future Of Everything has already discussed ways to upload or download memories but what happens if it goes even further?

In theory, uploading our brains could allow us to live forever, exist solely in virtual reality, create backups of ourselves and even safeguard our species against disaster.

But could it ever really be possible? And even if it is, should we do it?

Picture: Ella Byworth