---
title: "Transhumanism in the Epstein Files"
subtitle: "Genetics, eugenics, and the quest for immortality — CRISPR edits, designer babies, and the transhumanist network."
description: "Genetics, eugenics, and the quest for immortality — CRISPR edits, designer babies, and the transhumanist network."
color: "#ab47bc"
image: /og/report-transhumanism.jpg
sortDate: 2019
stats: {"messages": 73000, "threads": 0, "dateRange": "2002 – 2019"}
verdict: "$193K CRISPR invoice, $9.5M embryo project, NSA codebreakers for DNA, Zorro Ranch breeding plan"
---

# Transhumanism in the Epstein Files: Genetics, Eugenics, and the Quest for Immortality

*A database-driven investigation into Jeffrey Epstein's genetic engineering program, eugenics agenda, and transhumanist network — based on primary source documents from the DOJ Epstein Files release, the Unsealed email archive, and supplementary web research.*

---

## Executive Summary

Jeffrey Epstein did not merely fund scientists. He ran a decade-long program to reshape human biology — his own first, then everyone else's. The documents reveal three interlocking agendas: a **genetic engineering program** involving CRISPR gene editing, embryo modification, and the creation of his own stem cell lines; a **eugenics agenda** centered on breeding plans at his New Mexico ranch and pseudoscientific racial theories; and a **transhumanist network** pursuing blood-based anti-aging therapies, cryogenics, and artificial immortality.

The cast includes **George Church** (Harvard's leading geneticist, who held 2% equity in a company pitching Epstein on CRISPR longevity edits), **Bryan Bishop** (who proposed a $9.5 million designer baby project with an "overseas lab"), **Peter Attia** (the celebrity longevity physician who made house calls for Epstein's blood draws), and a constellation of Nobel laureates, transhumanist philosophers, and Silicon Valley billionaires.

**Key findings:**

- Epstein paid **$193,400** for genetic services including CRISPR editing of his own stem cells to "introduce mutations believed to increase longevity"
- He commissioned a **$160,000 "Venus Project"** — a genomic study of facial features involving 200 participants
- George Church proposed creating **CRISPR guide-RNAs to modify human DNA** to match supercentenarian variants, with Epstein as investor and self-described "LEADER" of conference calls with Church's lab
- A **$9.5 million embryo editing project** was discussed in 2018 with an "overseas lab" reporting mouse results — Epstein's condition: *"i have no issue with investing, the problem is only if i am seen to lead"*
- Epstein asked a former White House Counsel to find him **NSA codebreakers** to apply signals intelligence to DNA
- He planned to use his New Mexico ranch to **impregnate up to 20 women** to "seed the human race with his DNA"
- **Cell lines containing Epstein's DNA were created at Harvard in 2013** — and no one knows what happened to those tissue samples
- His longevity physician appeared **~1,700 times** in the 3 million DOJ documents

---

## Part I: The Genetic Engineering Program

### George Church — Epstein's Geneticist-in-Chief

**George Church** is one of the most influential geneticists alive — a Harvard professor, pioneer of CRISPR technology, and co-founder of the Human Genome Project. He appears in **more Epstein documents than any other scientist** — at least 11 distinct EFTA files spanning 2011 to 2017.

The relationship was not arm's-length philanthropy. Epstein received Church's direct funding proposals, directed conference calls with Church's lab members, and bragged about the connection as social currency.

#### The Androcyte Investment

In September 2014, a 7-message email thread (EFTA02387794) reveals the details. Participants: **James Clement** (Supercentenarian Research Study), George Church, Jeffrey Epstein, and **Richard Kahn** (Epstein's financial manager).

**Androcyte LLC** (formerly Acron Cell LLC, founded January 2010) had:
- Sequenced **15 supercentenarian genomes** at $8,000–$20,000 each
- Received $215,000 from the Life Extension Foundation and $340,000 from Zasis LLC
- Given George Church **2% equity** as advisor
- Offered Epstein investment at a pre-money valuation of $2 million (discounted from $2.5 million)

Church's business plan to Epstein laid out the vision explicitly:

> *"Patent products based on genomic (and epi-genomic) variants which are unique to one or more supercentenarians. Each such DNA variant can be used to design and manufacture variant-specific RNAi molecules, proteins, and CRISPR guide-RNAs. The CRISPR is used for changing DNA in human cells (stem cells, neurons, etc) to match the SC variant."*

The model: find what makes people live past 110, then use CRISPR to edit those genetic variants into anyone willing to pay.

Epstein's response was characteristically transactional: *"is there and was there a biz plan? how does the co intend to make money? when? the use of funds, appears more like a research grant than a for profit investment."*

#### Epstein as "LEADER"

A conference call on October 21, 2014 is logged: *"2pm Conf call w/ George Church, James Clement and Luhan Yang (JE is LEADER)"* — with Epstein positioning himself as directing Church's own lab members. **Luhan Yang** was a postdoc in Church's lab who would later co-found eGenesis, a gene-editing startup.

#### Church's Event Timeline with Epstein

| Date | Event |
|------|-------|
| Nov 17, 2011 | Groff (Epstein's assistant) contacts Church for JE's cell number |
| Jun 28, 2013 | Skin cell samples at MGH with Dr. Thakuria; personalgenomes.org signup |
| Jul 19, 2013 | 4:30pm George Church at Harvard Medical School |
| Dec 6, 2013 | 5pm George Church at Martin's Institute. Charter flight TEB→BED→TEB |
| Jun 21, 2014 | 12pm Lunch with George Church |
| Oct 21, 2014 | **Conf call with Church, Clement, Luhan Yang — "JE is LEADER"** |
| Oct 22, 2014 | Church at NYSCF Conference, Rockefeller University |
| Nov 4, 2014 | Church at Kavli Futures Symposium, Columbia University |
| Nov 30, 2014 | Mega-dinner at Nowak's office: Church, Ito, Hoffman, Summers, Hillis, Bach |
| Jun 4, 2015 | 4pm George Church at Harvard Medical School |
| Dec 5, 2015 | Nowak's Institute 1–4pm: Chomsky, Gromov, Hillis, Nowak, Church |

Epstein received funding from Church from **2005 to 2007** for "cutting-edge science & education" and proposed an Epstein-funded **"genetics-and-brain laboratory"** to study "far-out ideas such as life extension." In July 2006, Epstein told Church: *"I will hire post docs to work for him."*

#### The Guest Lists

The documents reveal how Epstein weaponized Church as bait for billionaires:

> **EFTA01834443**: Guest list "for bill" (Gates): *"george church, genetics... models from img, ford next. girls that is"*

> **EFTA01905944**: Guest list "for bill": *"george church genetics"* — listed alongside Victoria's Secret models

> **EFTA01953732**: Epstein brags in a highlight reel: *"genetics - george church"*

In August 2019, after Epstein's arrest, Church apologized for his contacts, calling it **"nerd tunnel vision."**

#### eGenesis — Pig Organs and Gene Editing

Church's work extended beyond human longevity. In October 2015, Epstein emailed about *"geroge garage pigs?"* — a reference to **eGenesis** (stylized as Georgarage LLC), a Church-founded startup using CRISPR to edit pig organs for human transplantation. Church introduced Epstein to **Geoff McKay**, eGenesis's acting CEO. Epstein told an associate: *"I told geoff you will invest 5 million first round."*

**Luhan Yang**, Church's postdoc and eGenesis co-founder, appeared on the conference call where Epstein was designated "LEADER." **Boris Nikolic** — Bill Gates's science advisor, later named as backup executor of Epstein's will — led a **$120 million CRISPR investment round** that included eGenesis.

#### Gene Drives — Trivers and Gates Funding

Epstein corresponded with evolutionary biologist **Robert Trivers** about **gene drives** — a technology that forces genetic modifications to spread through entire wild populations. Trivers' colleague **Austin Burt** (Imperial College London) was developing gene drives to eliminate malaria-carrying mosquitoes with **funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation**.

The convergence of Epstein's genetics network (Church, Trivers) with Gates Foundation funding for population-level genetic modification represents one of the more consequential intersections in the documents.

---

### The $193,400 Invoice — CRISPR on Epstein's Own DNA

> **Document: EFTA02387794** (September 2014)

**Dr. Joseph Thakuria**, a clinical geneticist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard, sent Epstein an invoice for $193,400 in genetic services:

| Service | Cost |
|---------|------|
| Exome sequencing | $1,000 |
| Fibroblast sequencing (connective tissue cells used in anti-aging research) | $1,000 |
| Creating **iPS cells** from Epstein's fibroblasts | ~$31,400 |
| CRISPR editing of stem cells to **"introduce mutations believed to increase longevity"** | Included |
| **"The Venus Project"** — genomic study of facial features (200 participants) | **$160,000** |

Thakuria noted that Epstein, "like George Church, would be one of very few people in the world" to have induced pluripotent stem cells created from his own tissue. Epstein's staff sent the initial $2,000 check the same day.

The **Venus Project** is particularly striking: a $160,000 study of the genetics of facial beauty involving 200 participants. Thakuria wrote: *"Jeffrey and [I] briefly discussed a genomic research studying I'm dubbing the venus project (he'll know what this)."* Thakuria later said it "never went anywhere."

### Epstein's Cell Lines at Harvard

In 2013, Epstein enrolled in Church's **Personal Genome Project** (PGP) — a public database of genetic information at Harvard. His blood sample was placed in a fridge at Church's Harvard Medical School lab, and a team member pushed to **prioritize sequencing** Epstein's sample.

**Mad Ball**, the project's director of research, checked the ID number and discovered it belonged to a registered sex offender. He immediately left the lab.

Internal pushback stopped the special treatment — but it was too late. **Cell lines containing Epstein's DNA had already been created in 2013.** A 2026 STAT investigation found that no one knows what happened to those tissue samples. They may still exist in a Harvard freezer.

### The CODIS Question

Epstein was aware of his own genetic footprint in government databases:

> **EFTA01804227** (September 2014): Epstein emailed — *"i need confirmation that i am in the codis system?"* Response: *"Jeffrey, I show you in the DNA Database."* Epstein: *"larry could you check the FBI, codis system."*

**Shani Pinney** from the VI Department of Justice scheduled an appointment to *"collect your DNA sample"* and confirmed *"the FBI Laboratory-Federal DNA Database Unit was contacted."*

A man who was having his own stem cells CRISPR-edited at Harvard was simultaneously checking whether his DNA was in the FBI's forensic database. The juxtaposition captures Epstein's dual existence — frontier science and criminal exposure, running in parallel.

### The "Pleasure Genome Initiative" (2006)

Before the genetics program matured, Epstein explored mapping the neuroscience of desire. **Gary Ruvkun** and **Stephen Kosslyn** (both Harvard) proposed a "Pleasure Genome Initiative" that would map pleasure signatures in the brain corresponding to hunger, sexuality, and fear.

Ruvkun asked Kosslyn: *"let me know if this subject is too strange for our patron."*

Epstein replied via his assistant: **"the patron has no boundaries."**

---

### Bryan Bishop — The $9.5 Million Designer Baby Project

In September 2018, **Bryan Bishop** — a cryptocurrency entrepreneur and biohacker — sent Epstein technical references for "tech diligence on embryo editing":

> **Document: EFTA02625025**

The attachments included `human-germline-key-references.pdf` and `human-germline-genetic-modification-outline.pdf` — described as *"A long-form writeup of our concept."*

Two months later, after **He Jiankui's** CRISPR baby scandal made global headlines, Bishop wrote to Epstein with an update:

> *"My team has been working on a new technique which does not involve stem cells in the testis, instead it's an embryo editing technique more similar to cloning which does not require an injection to the biodad."*

> *"Meanwhile our overseas lab has reported some mouse testis transfection results. They are observing maybe 5% transfection efficiency."*

Epstein responded: **"great."**

The project was budgeted at up to **$9.5 million**. Epstein's condition for investment was anonymity: *"i have no issue with investing, the problem is only if i am seen to lead."*

Bishop agreed: *"we can't publicly identify who these are or their parents or benefactors, it would brand the child as (essentially, and sadly) a freak."*

Bishop later stated they never took funding from Epstein. But the correspondence documents a concrete plan: a clandestine embryo-editing program with an overseas laboratory, mouse results, a multi-million-dollar budget, and a convicted sex offender as the prospective silent investor.

---

### NSA Codebreakers for DNA

Epstein's ambitions extended beyond biology into intelligence applications of genetics.

> **Document: EFTA02490574** (September 4, 2015)

Epstein wrote to **Kathy Ruemmler**, former White House Counsel under Obama:

> *"can you find a guy from NSA that can think about signal intelligence applied to DNA. I would love to get some contact with decryptors that can work on biology. I will fund. I want to intercept communication between living cells in organisms, the rules should be the same for language"*

This was not a new fixation. In late 2012, Epstein had emailed **Boris Nikolic** (Gates's science advisor): *"do you have any contacts at nsa so that we can use de encypriton (sic) in biological systems?"* Nikolic replied affirmatively.

Epstein envisioned DNA as a code that could be cracked using the same techniques the NSA used to break encrypted communications — and he had the connections to make the introduction.

---

## Part II: The Eugenics Agenda

### Zorro Ranch — The Breeding Program

Epstein told associates he wanted his **New Mexico ranch** to be a breeding facility — **impregnating up to 20 women at a time** with his sperm to "seed the human race with his DNA." He discussed "superior humans" at scientific gatherings.

> **Document: EFTA02581462** (CRITICAL tier) explicitly links Zorro Ranch invitations to "eugenics-inspired plans."

He invited **Reid Hoffman** and **Joi Ito** there after TED 2014. **Johanna Sjoberg**, an accuser who visited the ranch in 2005, said in a deposition that Epstein asked her to be the mother of his child. She refused.

No evidence has emerged that mass insemination was ever carried out. But the ambition — a convicted sex offender using a private ranch as a genetics laboratory with himself as the source material — is documented in his own words and confirmed by multiple associates.

### The Venus Project

The $160,000 genomic study of facial features involving 200 participants proposed by Thakuria takes on a different cast in the context of Zorro Ranch. A man who wanted to breed a superior race was also commissioning research into the genetics of physical beauty — and the study was designed to be known only by its code name.

### Race Science

The eugenics interest was not merely narcissistic. In a 2016 email exchange with MIT cognitive scientist **Joscha Bach** (who had received $406,500 from Epstein), Epstein entertained **pseudoscientific ideas about modifying Black people's intelligence**.

His relationship with **James Watson** — who co-discovered the structure of DNA and was stripped of his honors in 2019 for making racist statements about intelligence and genetics — continued even after Watson's disgrace.

> **EFTA02606131** (CRITICAL, January 2019): Larry Summers to Epstein: *"Watson way out there. Hopkins really a humorless bitchy idiot."* — **Nancy Hopkins** was the MIT biologist who had walked out on Summers' own 2005 remarks about women in science.

> **EFTA01618701** (May 2019): Epstein to Summers: *"Spoke to Jim Watson. That said he is 80 percent back, and if nothing else it gives him pleasure to stick it in the face of those that would prefer not to hear unpleasant facts."*

Epstein and Summers — a former Treasury Secretary and Harvard president — were commiserating about Watson's "unpleasant facts" just two months before Epstein's arrest.

### The Jamaican Sprinters Study

Epstein corresponded with evolutionary biologist **Robert Trivers** about genetic research on elite Jamaican sprinters. Trivers measured at least **73 elite sprinters in Kingston**, contacting about half the world's top sprinters including **Usain Bolt, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Yohan Blake, and Elaine Thompson**.

The goal (2014): rigorous genetic analysis to identify hereditary factors behind Jamaica's sprinting dominance. Epstein eventually suggested pivoting to **"transgender biology"** instead, calling sprinter studies of "little public interest."

The pattern is consistent: Epstein was drawn to research that linked genetics to human performance — speed, intelligence, beauty — and wanted to control how that research was directed.

---

## Part III: Blood, Stem Cells, and the Quest for Immortality

### Peter Attia — The Longevity Physician

**Dr. Peter Attia**, the prominent longevity physician and author of *Outlive*, had a multi-year relationship with Epstein that left a massive paper trail — his name appears approximately **1,700 times** in the 3 million DOJ Epstein documents.

They discussed Epstein's health in clinical detail: medications (**metformin**, Neurontin, statins, **Clomid**), MRIs, nerve blocks. In June 2015, Attia sent a photo of **metformin bottles** saying *"Got a fresh shipment"* — metformin is a diabetes drug widely studied for anti-aging properties. Epstein replied with *"me too"* and a photo.

Attia made house calls at Epstein's Manhattan townhouse between 2014 and 2019, meeting him "on approximately seven or eight occasions."

Epstein used Attia as he used all his contacts — as connective tissue between networks:

> **EFTA02489885** (CRITICAL, August 23, 2015): Epstein to Attia — *"you should meet joi ito head of mit media, and reid hoffman head of linked in. both friends of thiel."*

A convicted sex offender brokering introductions between his personal longevity physician and Silicon Valley's most powerful executives. Attia resigned from CBS News in February 2026 after the emails became public.

### "All You Need Is a Blood Transfusion"

> **Document: EFTA01801501** (January 5, 2016)

**Barry Josephson**, a Hollywood producer, emailed Epstein with the subject "Dr. Agus":

> *"All you need is a blood transfusion from the pack and you reverse aging!!"*

The reference was to **Dr. David Agus**, the USC oncologist and celebrity physician who treated Steve Jobs. The email received a star count of 65 — indicating extremely high researcher interest in the files.

This wasn't fringe speculation in Epstein's circle. The scientist list sent to Epstein (EFTA02361620) included **Tony Wyss-Coray** of Stanford, whose research on **parabiosis** — transfusing young blood into old organisms to reverse aging — had made international headlines. The technique has since been commercialized by startups charging thousands of dollars per transfusion.

### Richard Axel — A Nobel Laureate's Blood Loss

The blood-as-medicine theme extended to Epstein's inner circle of Nobel laureates:

> **EFTA01786474** (September 2016): **Richard Axel** — Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Columbia neuroscientist — wrote to Epstein: *"My heart is fine, but early last week it became clear that I had lost half of my blood. I spent four days in the hospital getting transfused and prodded."*

Epstein's reply: *"glad to hear. im in paris, im bringing the rothschild girl 18 to new york, trying to convince her to go to columbia."*

A Nobel laureate discusses his emergency blood transfusions. Epstein responds with a note about bringing an 18-year-old Rothschild girl to New York. The juxtaposition — clinical blood science and young women — was the constant duality of Epstein's world.

### The "Scientists and Science of Interest" List (October 2017)

In October 2017, a curated list of **17 cutting-edge scientists** was sent to Epstein (EFTA02361620), covering the frontier of transhumanist research:

| # | Scientist | Institution | Research Area |
|---|-----------|------------|---------------|
| 1 | **Tony Wyss-Coray** | Stanford | Youth, aging, **parabiosis**, biomarkers |
| 2 | **Susumu Tonegawa** | MIT | Memory and **false memory** |
| 3 | **Beth Stevens** | Harvard | Glia, brain immunity and aging |
| 4 | **Michael Levin** | Tufts | **Morphogenetic code** |
| 5 | **David Issadore** | U Penn | "Tricorder" type diagnostic device |
| 6 | **Edward Botchwey** | Georgia Tech | Advanced manufacturing of cells |
| 7 | **Ted Berger** | USC | **Memory implants** |
| 8 | **Baljit Khank** | UCLA | Astrocytic brain circuitry |
| 9 | **David Barker** | UW | **Designer proteins** |
| 10 | **Irv Weissman** | Stanford | **Stem cells** — old and new ideas |
| 11 | **Klaus Ley** | La Jolla Institute | Vaccines beyond infectious disease |
| 12 | **Charles Gersbach** | Duke | **Programming the epigenome** |
| 13 | **Michael Schwartz** | Weizmann | Neuroimmuno gatekeeping |
| 14 | **Eran Elinav** | Weizmann | Personalized nutrition / microbiome |
| 15 | **Shai Efrati** | Tel Aviv U | **Hyperbarics** |
| 16 | **Neal Kassell** | FUS Foundation | Focused ultrasound |
| 17 | **James McCully** | Boston Children's/Harvard | **Mitochondrial transplants** |

Memory implants, designer proteins, programming the epigenome, mitochondrial transplants — this was Epstein's shopping list for the next generation of human modification, compiled just two years before his arrest.

### Stem Cell Connections

Epstein's interest in stem cells was both personal and financial:

- **ReGen Medical PC** (Dr. Steven Victor's stem cell company) showed **$440,000+ flowing TO Epstein** in 2011 — large inflows suggesting investment returns, not medical service payments
- **IntelliCell BioSciences** press releases about adipose stem cell treatments were sent directly to Epstein
- The associate later identified as **Melanie Walker** emailed Epstein in 2018: *"I started a clot bank for all the clots I pull out of brains — very interesting"*

### Cryogenics

Epstein told associates he wanted **his head and penis cryogenically preserved** after death. The connections were real:

- **Marvin Minsky** (MIT AI pioneer, named in Giuffre testimony) served on the advisory board of **Alcor Life Extension Foundation**, whose then-CEO **Max More** was the founding philosopher of the transhumanist movement. Minsky's brain was preserved at Alcor after his death in 2016.
- **Sultan Bin Sulayem** (Dubai Ports World chairman) sent Epstein extensive documentation about **FUDA Cancer Hospital** in Guangzhou, China, and their cryosurgery program (EFTA02031879, November 2011).

In the end, Epstein was **buried in an unmarked grave** in Florida — not cryopreserved.

---

## Part IV: Consciousness, AI, and the Edge of Reality

### The Edge Foundation Salon — September 2018

Epstein funded a weekend gathering of some of the world's most distinguished minds on consciousness and artificial intelligence.

> **Document: vol00009-efta01023686-pdf**

**John Brockman** (Edge Foundation founder) wrote to Epstein: *"Did you tell the group of my involvement? The subject of money never came up... I told Bob Axelrod you funded people like Seth [Lloyd], Nowak, Lee, and were a regular backer of EDGE."*

The speakers:

| Speaker | Affiliation | Topic |
|---------|-------------|-------|
| **David Chalmers** | NYU | "The hard problem of consciousness" |
| **Freeman Dyson** | IAS Princeton | Whether brains are quantum analog computers |
| **Danny Hillis** | Computer scientist | Technology-enabled super-human intelligence |
| **Seth Lloyd** | MIT | Quantum machine learning |
| **Ian McEwan** | Novelist | Embodied artificial consciousness |
| **Frank Wilczek** | MIT (Nobel) | Natural vs. artificial intelligence |
| **Stephen Wolfram** | Wolfram Research | Computational language |
| **Alison Gopnik** | UC Berkeley | Developmental psychology of consciousness |
| **Caroline Jones** | MIT | Distributed intelligence, gut-brain axis |

This was not a university seminar. It was a private salon, funded by a sex offender, where Nobel laureates debated whether consciousness could be engineered.

### Gino Yu — Mind Uploading

In September 2016, **Gino Yu** (Hong Kong Polytechnic University) wrote to Epstein outlining plans that included a Cuba conference, a "mutants meet scientists" event at Epstein's properties, and the **TSC 2017 in Shanghai** (The Science of Consciousness conference).

> **Document: vol00009-efta00818930-pdf**

Yu attached a paper: *"Understanding the Self Through the Use of Digitally Constructed Realities"* — discussing artificial consciousness, **mind uploading**, the physiological basis of consciousness, psychedelics (LSD, DMT), and VR therapies.

The follow-up mentioned **Stuart Hameroff** (the quantum consciousness researcher) *"developing something with your friend Noam Chomsky."*

### The "Confronting Gravity" Conference (2006) — Nobel Laureates on Little St. James

Before the conviction, Epstein hosted science on a grander scale. In March 2006, **Lawrence Krauss** organized a five-day workshop called "Confronting Gravity" in St. Thomas, USVI, funded entirely by Epstein.

The attendees included **Stephen Hawking** (who went on his first submarine dive during the event), Nobel laureates **Gerardus 't Hooft**, **David Gross**, and **Frank Wilczek**, plus **Jim Peebles** (Princeton), **Alan Guth** (MIT), **Lisa Randall** (Harvard), **Barry Barish** (LIGO), and **Maria Spiropulu** (CERN).

Participants held a picnic on **Little St. James** — Epstein's private island.

### The "Benchmark" Neuroscience Dinner (~March 2014)

Organized by **Neil Gershenfeld** at 9 East 71st Street (Epstein's Manhattan townhouse), this dinner convened leading neuroscientists to discuss *"creating and understanding brains/consciousness."*

Known or potential attendees: **Ed Boyden** (MIT optogenetics), **Sebastian Seung** (Princeton connectomics), **David E. Shaw** (computational biology billionaire), **John Hopfield** (neural networks pioneer), **David Tank** (Princeton), **Kevin Slavin** (MIT), **Yann LeCun** (now Meta's Chief AI Scientist). Boyden was reimbursed for JetBlue flights.

### The Singularity Conversations (2009)

> **vol00009-efta00769896-pdf** (September 2009): Thread between Epstein and a correspondent (likely Victoria Stodden) discussing **Peter Thiel** ("funder of singularity institute"), the **Singularity Summit**, and **Michael Nielsen**.

> Epstein: *"most are goofballs. however, there seems to be a kernel of an idea, here and there... the contention that though most people are afraid of death, they are as concerned if you tell them they will live for 1,000 years."*

> Correspondent: *"Like the elves in Lord of the Rings. I think immortality is so seductive it's got these guys a bit mesmerized."*

### BrainMind Summit — The Last Known Email (February 2019)

In August 2018, Epstein received a *"private invitation to join the BrainMind ecosystem"* (EFTA01004030) — a summit chaired by **Reid Hoffman** with co-founders **Ed Boyden** and **Joi Ito**. Presenters included **George Church**. Epstein registered to attend.

In February 2019, after receiving a save-the-date for the MIT edition of BrainMind, Epstein wrote what may be his **last known email**:

> **EFTA01029072** (NUCLEAR, February 2019): *"thanks, if i come to the west coast. will you have the courage to meet? :)"*

Five months later, he was arrested.

### Deepak Chopra — "Manage Your Own Evolution"

Epstein maintained regular contact with **Deepak Chopra** through 2016–2017, meeting for lunches and exchanging philosophical threads about consciousness. The exchanges reveal Epstein's genuine intellectual engagement alongside his transhumanist fixation:

> **EFTA02449535** (September 2016): Epstein to Chopra — *"With all the work and money for the human DNA, we still can't figure out how a single cell divides. We are missing the basic algorithm for life. When you take out the nucleus, so it has NO DNA, and simply tickle the cell, it still divides a couple of times. With no nucleus. That is very odd."*

> **EFTA02611881** (September 2017): Chopra to Epstein — *"How to Manage Your Own Evolution"* — with the premise: "Human beings are the only living creatures who can manage their own evolution."

A 9-message thread (EFTA02447283) involved Chopra, **Rudolph Tanzi** (Harvard's leading Alzheimer's researcher), and others discussing "indivisible, immortal, all knowing consciousness." Tanzi wrote: *"Every universe of every being is their own construct. Those with similar DNA agree most on the construct."*

---

## Part V: The Transhumanist Network

### Epstein's Seven Conferences

In September 2009, Epstein laid out **seven conferences** he intended to "fully fund" (EFTA02436370), each with named participants drawn from the upper echelons of science, politics, and finance:

1. **Evolutionary Code Dynamics** — *"a brand new field that encompasses game theory, virus dynamics (both computers and biological), cryptography, and genetics"* — Participants: Nowak, Church, a representative of the NSA
2. **Synthetic General Intelligence** — Participants: Minsky, Goertzel
3. **Conference on Power** — Participants: George Mitchell, Ehud Barak, Tony Blair, Larry Summers, Bloomberg
4. **World Financial System** — Participants: Myhrvold, Hillis, Jes Staley, Jamie Dimon
5. **Power Laws** — human trait distributions including intelligence — Participants: Murray Gell-Mann, Howard Gardner
6. **Why Happiness Is Overrated** — narcotics, hallucinogens, psycho-pharmaceuticals
7. **Music and the Brain** — Participants: Antonio Damasio, Gerald Edelman

This was not a funding agenda. It was a curriculum — a systematic effort to assemble the world's foremost experts in genetics, intelligence, consciousness, and power under Epstein's coordination.

![Epstein's Seven Conferences — A Curriculum for Power, mixing hard science, geopolitics, intelligence, and pharmacology](/reports/infographic-transhumanism-conferences.jpg)

### The Funding Map

Epstein's scientific funding was substantial and strategic:

| Recipient | Amount | Purpose |
|-----------|--------|---------|
| **Harvard PED** (Martin Nowak) | **$6.5M** | Program for Evolutionary Dynamics |
| **Melanoma Research Alliance** | **$1.225M** | Cancer research |
| **Edge Foundation** (Brockman) | **$638K+** | Scientific elite network |
| **Humanity+** (transhumanist org) | **~$600K** | Transhumanist movement and AGI |
| **ReGen Medical** | **$440K+** inflows | Stem cell investment returns |
| **C.O.U.Q. Foundation** | **$4.35M total** | Funnel to Harvard, MIT, and other institutions |
| **Arizona State** (Krauss) | **$250K** | Origins Project |
| **Santa Fe Institute** | **~$275K** | Complexity science |
| **Thakuria** (MGH/Harvard) | **$193K** | Personal genetic engineering |
| **Singularity Institute / MIRI** | **$100K** | AI safety |
| **Seth Lloyd** (MIT quantum) | **$100K** | Quantum computing |

Total documented science funding exceeds **$14 million** — and this accounts only for what has been identified in the released documents.

![Epstein's Science Funding — $14M+ documented across 11 scientific recipients](/reports/infographic-transhumanism-funding.jpg)

### The Transhumanist Rolodex

| Person | Role | Connection |
|--------|------|------------|
| **Ben Goertzel** | AGI researcher, Humanity+ VP | $100K grant; emailed "Congratulations!!!" on Epstein's 2009 release; AGI center in Kazakhstan |
| **Peter Diamandis** | X Prize / Singularity University | Close personal friend; extensive correspondence |
| **Ray Kurzweil** | Futurist, Google | On Epstein's master contacts list |
| **Aubrey de Grey** | Anti-aging (SENS Foundation) | Helped set up regenerative medicine center in Kazakhstan |
| **Nick Bostrom** | Future of Humanity Institute | Co-founded organization Epstein funded |
| **Max More** | Alcor CEO | Founding philosopher of transhumanism |
| **Martine Rothblatt** | Terasem founder | Named in files |
| **Eric Drexler** | Nanotechnology pioneer | Named in files |
| **Eliezer Yudkowsky** | MIRI founder | Met with Epstein; discussed MIRI funding |
| **Bryan Johnson** | Longevity entrepreneur | Met with Epstein |

### The Edge Network

**John Brockman's Edge Foundation** ($638K+ from Epstein) served as the primary conduit connecting Epstein to the scientific elite. In 2002, Brockman, his wife, and scientists **Steven Pinker**, **Richard Dawkins**, and **Daniel Dennett** were photographed on Epstein's jet flying to TED in Monterey.

Edge's "Billionaires' Dinner" at TED brought Epstein into the same room as **Bezos, Brin, Musk, Page, and Schmidt**. Brockman acknowledged to Epstein: *"it will be a real benefit, not just a misdirection"* — a candid admission that Epstein's scientific philanthropy served as cover.

### The Deception Research Circle — CRISPR Meets Financial Networks

In January 2014, a paper on *"Deceptive viruses and collapse in biological and financial networks"* was circulated in a chain involving **Kevin Slavin, Joi Ito, James Woodward Weis**, CC'd to **Reid Hoffman** and **Jeffrey Epstein** (EFTA01941773). The paper drew analogies between CRISPR/Cas biological defense systems and financial network vulnerabilities.

In a related thread, Ito forwarded to Epstein a conversation with **Lord Martin Rees** (Astronomer Royal, Cambridge):

> **EFTA02396144** (January 28, 2014): *"I was talking to Lord Martin Rees and he said that we would be moving to space and modifying our genes to create versions of ourselves that were more robust in the environments that we find in space."*

Epstein's network was not merely discussing gene editing for longevity — they were discussing **engineering new human subspecies** adapted for space colonization.

### The Program for Evolutionary Dynamics — Consequences

The institutional fallout from Epstein's Harvard access was severe:

- In **2021**, Harvard President Claudine Gay sanctioned **Martin Nowak** — suspending him from supervising undergraduates. The **Program for Evolutionary Dynamics was permanently closed**.
- In **2023**, Harvard lifted the sanctions; Nowak remains on faculty.
- Epstein had maintained a personal office (*"Jeffrey's Office"*) in PED for **9 years post-conviction** (2008–2017), using it **40+ times**, typically with young female "assistants."

The program that Epstein funded with $6.5 million — and where he held an unsupervised keycard — no longer exists.

---

## Part VI: DNA Deception — Epstein's Own Theory

The most revealing document may be Epstein's own writing on genetics.

> **Document: EFTA01817760** (September 2009) — Epstein to Martin Nowak on evolutionary code dynamics:

> *"the evolutionary code dynamics, should include multi dimensional codes. for example, a code that sets up an electric circuit, that now depends on magnetism to find result. assume the dna code codes for proteins. proteins fold and code for a three dimensional topology, that then codes for weak force interaction."*

> *"many of the codes are to DECEIVE the other side.. false info... butterfly camouflage in its wings. --dna would have developed deceiving codes to fool viruses. THIS is the key, deception in the code.. ala trivers.. its not simply what the gene codes for, but what message it is sending."*

Epstein saw biology through the lens of deception — codes within codes, signals designed to mislead. Whether this reflects genuine scientific intuition or psychological projection, it captures his worldview: everything is a code, every code is a weapon, and the person who controls the code controls reality.

His critique came from **Al Seckel** (EFTA02417530, October 2010), who reviewed Epstein's 16-topic funding list and called it *"stream of consciousness,"* urging him to *"drop the flaky pseudoscience and junk science stuff."* Topic #8: *"genetics. Code No fabrication, stem cells. bounded, junk."*

Seckel also noted about Epstein's science website: *"it will be a real benefit, not just a misdirection."*

The word "misdirection" appears twice in the documents — once from Seckel, once from Brockman — both acknowledging that Epstein's scientific engagement served a dual purpose.

---

## Part VII: The Timeline

| Year | Event |
|------|-------|
| 1998 | Epstein hires Melanie Walker as "Science Advisor" |
| 2002 | Brockman, Pinker, Dawkins on Epstein's jet to TED |
| 2003 | $6.5M to Harvard for Program for Evolutionary Dynamics (Nowak) |
| 2005–2007 | Church receives Epstein funding for "cutting-edge science" |
| 2006 | **"Confronting Gravity" conference** — Hawking, Nobel laureates on Little St. James; Hawking's first submarine dive |
| 2006 | **"Pleasure Genome Initiative"** proposed — Ruvkun/Kosslyn: *"the patron has no boundaries"* |
| 2009 | Epstein released from prison; lays out 7 conferences to fund; Singularity/immortality discussions |
| 2010 | Seckel critiques Epstein's funding list: "drop the flaky pseudoscience" |
| 2011 | ReGen Medical stem cell company: $440K+ flowing to Epstein |
| 2012 | Epstein asks Nikolic for NSA contacts for "de encryption in biological systems" |
| 2012 | Pritzker Neuro Consortium meeting; smart day at Harvard with Church and Lander |
| 2013 | **Epstein's cell lines created at Harvard**; skin cell samples with Thakuria at MGH |
| 2013 | Regular dinners with Church; Deception dinner series |
| 2014 | **Thakuria $193K invoice** — CRISPR longevity edits, iPS cells, Venus Project |
| 2014 | **Androcyte investment** — Church's CRISPR supercentenarian plan |
| 2014 | **"JE is LEADER"** on Church/Clement/Yang conference call |
| 2014 | Nov 30 mega-dinner: Church, Ito, Hoffman, Summers, Hillis, Bach |
| 2014 | DAF proposal to Gates: "anti aging. genetic fabrication" |
| 2015 | Epstein asks former White House Counsel for **NSA codebreakers for DNA** |
| 2015 | Epstein brokers Attia → Hoffman/Ito introductions |
| 2015 | Goertzel reports: Aubrey de Grey setting up regenerative medicine in Kazakhstan |
| 2016 | Attia blood draws at Epstein's home; metformin exchange |
| 2016 | Chopra consciousness threads; Gino Yu mind uploading proposal |
| 2016 | Richard Axel blood transfusion discussion |
| 2016 | Race science conversations with Joscha Bach |
| 2017 | bgC3 "Scientists and Science of Interest" list — 17 cutting-edge researchers |
| 2017 | DAF planning with Summers: "church, genetics, jobs, climate" |
| 2018 | **Edge Foundation consciousness/AI salon** — Chalmers, Dyson, Wilczek |
| 2018 | **Bryan Bishop embryo editing** — $9.5M budget, overseas lab, mouse results |
| 2018 | BrainMind Summit invitations to Epstein |
| 2019 (Jan) | Watson "80 percent back" — Summers/Epstein commiserate |
| 2019 (Feb) | **Last known email** — BrainMind MIT invite |
| 2019 (Jul) | Epstein arrested |
| 2019 (Aug) | Church apologizes: "nerd tunnel vision" |
| 2021 | Harvard sanctions Nowak; **Program for Evolutionary Dynamics permanently closed** |
| 2023 | Harvard lifts Nowak sanctions |
| 2026 | STAT investigation: Epstein's Harvard cell lines — whereabouts unknown |

---

## Part VIII: What Was the Program?

The documents reveal three overlapping programs operating simultaneously:

### Program 1: Personal Genetic Enhancement

Epstein was using himself as a test subject. He paid for his own genome sequencing, created induced pluripotent stem cells from his own tissue, had those cells CRISPR-edited for longevity mutations, enrolled in Church's Personal Genome Project, maintained a relationship with a longevity physician who tracked his biomarkers over years, and explored blood transfusion-based anti-aging. He wanted to live forever — or at least much longer — and he had the money to recruit the world's best geneticists to try.

### Program 2: Directed Human Evolution

Beyond himself, Epstein wanted to direct the evolution of the species. The Zorro Ranch breeding plan, the Venus Project, the interest in race and intelligence genetics, the designer baby project with Bryan Bishop — all point toward a vision of controlled human reproduction guided by genetic selection. His interest in CRISPR was not merely therapeutic. When Church proposed editing human cells to match supercentenarian variants, Epstein saw a business model. When Bishop proposed embryo editing, Epstein's concern was not ethics but anonymity.

### Program 3: The Knowledge Broker

The third program was the most sophisticated. Epstein positioned himself as the **indispensable node** connecting:
- Scientists who needed funding (Church, Nowak, Lloyd, Bach)
- Billionaires who wanted access to frontier research (Gates, Thiel, Hoffman)
- Government officials who controlled intelligence and defense budgets (NSA contacts, William Burns)
- Transhumanist organizations pursuing speculative technologies (Humanity+, MIRI, Alcor)

Each connection reinforced the others. Scientists gave Epstein intellectual credibility. Billionaires gave him social cover. Government contacts gave him protection. And the transhumanist vision — the promise of enhanced intelligence, extended life, engineered offspring — was the currency that made all of it irresistible.

As Brockman and Seckel both acknowledged: the science was real, but it was also *"not just a misdirection."* It was both things simultaneously — genuine intellectual pursuit and elaborate cover for a man whose primary expertise was in the manipulation of other people.

---

## Methodology

This report was compiled from:

1. **Primary source documents** from the DOJ Epstein Files release (3.5 million pages), accessed via the Unsealed databases (kabasshouse.db, jmail.db, unsealed.db)
2. **Keyword searches** across all text fields for terms including: CRISPR, stem cell, genome, genetic, eugenics, breeding, blood, transfusion, longevity, anti-aging, immortality, cryogenic, transhumanism, consciousness, mind uploading, parabiosis, Church, Thakuria, Androcyte, Venus Project, iPS cells, embryo editing
3. **Cross-database hydration** linking EFTA file keys across curated documents, email archives, financial records, and derived events
4. **Web research** for background on identified persons, organizations, and technologies

All document references cite EFTA file keys verifiable against the DOJ Epstein Library (justice.gov/epstein) and the Unsealed database on this site.

---

## Key Sources

### Primary Documents
- EFTA02387794 — Androcyte investment thread / Thakuria invoice
- EFTA02625025 — Bryan Bishop embryo editing references
- EFTA02490574 — NSA codebreakers for DNA
- EFTA01817760 — Epstein's DNA deception theory
- EFTA02436370 — Seven conferences to fund
- EFTA02581462 — Zorro Ranch eugenics link (CRITICAL)
- EFTA01801501 — "Blood transfusion reverses aging"
- EFTA02489885 — Attia-to-Hoffman/Ito brokering
- EFTA02592374 — DAF to Gates: "anti aging. genetic fabrication"
- EFTA02446049 — Master contacts: Kurzweil, Goertzel
- EFTA02606131 — Watson "way out there" (CRITICAL)
- EFTA01786474 — Richard Axel blood transfusion / "rothschild girl 18"
- EFTA02361620 — "Scientists and Science of Interest" list (17 researchers)
- EFTA01804227 — CODIS DNA database confirmation
- EFTA01029072 — "will you have the courage to meet?" — last known email
- EFTA01941773 — Deception Research Circle: CRISPR/financial networks
- EFTA02396144 — Lord Martin Rees on gene editing for space colonization
- vol00009-efta01023686-pdf — Edge Foundation consciousness salon
- vol00009-efta00818930-pdf — Gino Yu mind uploading
- vol00009-efta00769896-pdf — Singularity / immortality discussion

### Institutional Reporting
- [CNN: Epstein Paid for Novel Genetic Testing](https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/06/politics/jeffrey-epstein-genetic-test-joseph-thakuria-harvard) (February 2026)
- [STAT: Epstein Blood Samples Ignited 2013 Furor in Harvard Genome Lab](https://www.statnews.com/2026/02/24/epstein-cell-line-george-church-harvard-personal-genome-project/) (February 2026)
- [STAT: Jeffrey Epstein DNA at Harvard Involved in New Mystery](https://www.statnews.com/2026/03/04/jeffrey-epstein-new-mystery-harvard-genetics-project-george-church/) (March 2026)
- [CBS News: Dr. Peter Attia Epstein Files Emails](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dr-peter-attia-epstein-files-emails/) (February 2026)
- [Live Science: Jeffrey Epstein Dreamed of 'Improving' Humanity](https://www.livescience.com/66072-jeffrey-epstein-dna-eugenics.html) (2019)
- [NPR: 2006 Scientists Conference](https://www.npr.org/2026/03/09/nx-s1-5721150/epstein-scientists-physics-virgin-islands-conference) (March 2026)
- [Drop Site News: Epstein Recruited NSA Codebreakers for Genome](https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/jeffrey-epstein-recruited-nsa-codebreakers-genome-russia-skolkovo-bill-gates-mit) (2026)
- [Harvard Magazine: Martin Nowak Sanctioned](https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2021/03/martin-nowak-sanctioned-for-jeffrey-epstein-involvement) (2021)
- [Harvard Crimson: Nowak Sanctions Lifted](https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2023/5/22/nowak-sanctions-lifted/) (2023)
- [The Niche: From Skin Biopsy to iPS Cell Proposals](https://ipscell.com/2026/02/from-skin-biopsy-to-ips-cell-proposals-emails-involving-george-churchs-personal-genome-project-and-jeffrey-epstein/) (February 2026)
- [IBTimes: Venus Project](https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/venus-project-jeffrey-epstein-paid-genetic-testing-extend-his-life-new-emails-show-1776963)
- [NBC News: How Epstein Lured Girls to Zorro Ranch](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/epstein-lured-girls-zorro-ranch-new-mexico-investigation-jeffrey-rcna261370)
- [Center for Genetics and Society: Epstein Hoped to Seed Human Race](https://www.geneticsandsociety.org/article/jeffrey-epstein-hoped-seed-human-race-his-dna)
- [Jamaica Gleaner: Sprinter Genetics](https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20260202/emails-show-jeffrey-epstein-corresponded-scientist-about-genetic-research) (February 2026)
- [Byline Times: Race Science Into AI Elite](https://bylinetimes.com/2025/12/05/how-epstein-channelled-race-science-and-climate-culling-into-silicon-valleys-ai-elite/) (December 2025)
- [Truthdig: Transhumanist Pedophile](https://www.truthdig.com/articles/jeffrey-epstein-the-transhumanist-pedophile-who-hoped-to-live-forever/)
- [Newsweek: Freeze Head and Penis](https://www.newsweek.com/jeffrey-epstein-freeze-head-penis-cryonics-1452065)
- [Scientific American: Why Did Epstein Cultivate Scientists?](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-did-jeffrey-epstein-cultivate-famous-scientists/)
- [STAT: George Church Apologizes — "Nerd Tunnel Vision"](https://www.statnews.com/2019/08/05/citing-nerd-tunnel-vision-biologist-george-church-apologizes-for-contacts-with-jeffrey-epstein/) (August 2019)
- [Harvard President's Report on Epstein](https://www.harvard.edu/president/news-and-statements-by-president-bacow/2020/report-regarding-jeffrey-epstein-s-connections-to-harvard/) (2020)
- [MIT Fact-Finding Report](https://news.mit.edu/2020/mit-releases-results-fact-finding-report-jeffrey-epstein-0110) (2020)