http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/h...take-a-step-closer-to-an-elixir-of-youth.html
I say they call this stuff they develop "Tretonin"
I say they call this stuff they develop "Tretonin"
Scientists Develop "Elixir of Life"
- Thread starter Meredith
- Start date
Interesting but it is also important that some cells actually die at appropriate times--red blood cells for example. Imagine if your epidermal cells didn't die (the outermost layer of skin actually being dead tissues). Your skin would just grow thicker and thicker until your body was one huge callous. Also, many cancers grow uncontrollably specifically because they have uncontrolled telomerase access.
I actually do believe telomerase is the key to controlling the aging process--which is prgrammed by nature. Eventually people will NOT age (those who can afford the treatments) and even those who are aged will be able to be revtialized to a state of vigerous and perpetual youth. This is inevitable. I don't believe, however, it's going to happen in my life-time. The trick is controlling which cells are "immortalized" and which NEED to die a programmed and appropriate death in order to maintain life and health and NOT have tumors growing wildly.
I actually do believe telomerase is the key to controlling the aging process--which is prgrammed by nature. Eventually people will NOT age (those who can afford the treatments) and even those who are aged will be able to be revtialized to a state of vigerous and perpetual youth. This is inevitable. I don't believe, however, it's going to happen in my life-time. The trick is controlling which cells are "immortalized" and which NEED to die a programmed and appropriate death in order to maintain life and health and NOT have tumors growing wildly.
I should note that it will not produce true immortality.
Every thing in the universe seems to break down with time. Even protons and photons are speculated to decay given a long enough period of time.
Even if you did not age eventually it's theoretically only a matter of time before something would kill you. Car-wreck, illness of some sort, food-poisoning...
Also, there is almost certainly some kind of limit as to how much memories we can retain. Maybe we might be able to maintain 300 years worth of memories tops... that means as you age past that point you'd remember less and less about where you came from, about your early life. There is probably a limit as to how many skills you can learn, just as there is a limit as to how much software can be installed on your computer.
CuttingEdge100
Every thing in the universe seems to break down with time. Even protons and photons are speculated to decay given a long enough period of time.
Even if you did not age eventually it's theoretically only a matter of time before something would kill you. Car-wreck, illness of some sort, food-poisoning...
Also, there is almost certainly some kind of limit as to how much memories we can retain. Maybe we might be able to maintain 300 years worth of memories tops... that means as you age past that point you'd remember less and less about where you came from, about your early life. There is probably a limit as to how many skills you can learn, just as there is a limit as to how much software can be installed on your computer.
CuttingEdge100
Bullshit.
Here's a thought experiment:
Assume that while you are still living, you are cloned.
Assume that while you are still living, your "software" is copied into the new body.
When you open your eyes, which body will you "inhabit" and which will you be looking out at?
Your original body. The copy is just that, a copy. Copied memories or not.
Yup. Exactly so.
Telling me I'm "immortal" because my "software" has been transferred to a copy of me will not matter much to me when I'm dead.
All Seeing Eye
Admiral
I think one day it will be the norm to replace body parts and organs by growing new ones via stem cells, maybe one day it will be possible to build a biological machine and transplant your brain into it.
I honestly do not want to die, I would do anything to continue living forever, if that means having new body parts implanted in me and taking regular injections i'm happy to do it. I believe once you're dead theres nothing there, I believe we are nothing more than our brain and therefore if I lived to a time when it was possible to have my brain implanted into some kind of biological machine I would happily do it.
I honestly do not want to die, I would do anything to continue living forever, if that means having new body parts implanted in me and taking regular injections i'm happy to do it. I believe once you're dead theres nothing there, I believe we are nothing more than our brain and therefore if I lived to a time when it was possible to have my brain implanted into some kind of biological machine I would happily do it.
It is far better way of "immortality" compared to having offspring to carry on your legacy.
You don't know that. At least with reproduction we know it works. It is the only form of "immortatlity" that we know works for sure. Religus and Sci-fi/tech stuff could always be fantasy as far as we know. If and when that type of immortality comes around you don't know what kind of problems it would run into a few years down the road much less the millions and billions life as we know it has been around.
i hypothesized telomere extension years ago!
And what fools we were for not listening to you!!
(It's been discussed for many many years and a lot of tests have proven the basic concept. Again, it becomes a matter of targeting, no ALL cells, but the RIGHT cells for immortalization.)
MeanJoePhaser
Admiral
But how many dodongos and wizzrobes do you have to battle to get this Elixir?
Or just keep replacing bits of the body with cybernetic parts, as they did with Bareil on DS9.
Whatever you do, you can't stop neurons from dying. They don't regenerate.
So imagine it - legions of physically young, but senile, drooling imbeciles who can't hold their pee. Sweet immortality.
So imagine it - legions of physically young, but senile, drooling imbeciles who can't hold their pee. Sweet immortality.
Not so fast--there has been some research recently that suggests neurons CAN be regenerated and may even do so occasionally naturally,
BTW, if you can immortalize cells, why WOULDN'T you be able to prevent neurons from dying? They are composed of cells just like the rest of the body.
All Seeing Eye
Admiral
I have a theory that if you use your neurons enough they will never die out. That's why I know i'll never go senile.
A