In Pursuit of Immortality: The science behind life extension
Last Updated on Wednesday, 03 March 2010 10:35
Cryonics/Cryogenics
While most people tend to avoid contemplating their own death, a few people are choosing to use cryonics or cryogenics to preserve their bodies after death. Although there are no guarantees that cryonics, the process of warming and then reviving and treating a patient who's body has been preserved at extremely cold temperatures, will ever become a reality, some feel that the cost of cryonics is a small price to pay for the chance to live again in the future.
The purpose behind cryonics is to slow metabolism and the process of decay using extremely low temperatures, in hopes that one day we will discover a way to treat the patient's cause of death. While people have been cryogenically frozen since the 1960s, no person or mammal has ever been revived from cryogenic temperatures. One of the many obstacles to successfully using cryogenics is learning how to repair the damage caused by ice crystals formed within cells. While improving freezing techniques to reduce cell damage is certainly a goal, researchers hope that in the future we will also have the ability to repair damage done by past and present freezing techniques.
Conclusion
Life extension proponents view aging as the ultimate disease and they aim to find a cure. They feel strongly that this cure will be discovered within our lifetime. However, life extension is not without controversy.
Many opponents of life extension approach the concept from a religious or philosophical perspective, worrying about the value of life without death, and how a lack of natural death would impact the true meaning of life. In many ways, this argument falls along religious lines, with people who believe they will be rewarded in the afterlife standing opposed to life extension. On the other hand, people who are less certain about what happens after death tend to see little harm in enjoying life for as long as possible, in case this life is all we get. Many on both sides question the religious implications of making humans immortal, and thus god-like.
More practical concerns about life extension include over population. Life extension proponents point out that as life expectancy has increased, birth rate has naturally decreased. They also argue as population increases, humans become more efficient, allowing the world to sustain more inhabitants.
Ultimately, life extension won’t provide us with the answers to these questions, but it will certainly give us more time to ponder them.
References:
1) Howitz KT, et al. (2003). "Small molecule activators of sirtuins extend Saccharomyces cerevisiae lifespan" (PDF). Nature 425 (6954): 191–196. doi:10.1038/nature01960
2) Pearson KJ, et al. (2008). "Resveratrol delays age-related deterioration and mimics transcriptional aspects of dietary restriction without extending life span". Cell Metab 8 (2): 157–68. doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2008.06.011
3) Ellis-Behnke GH, et al. (2006). Nano neuro knitting: Peptide nanofiber scaffold for brain repair and axon regeneration with functional return of vision. PNAS 103 (13): 5054-5059. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0600559103
4) McCay CM, et al. The effect of retarded growth upon length of lifespan and upon ultimate body size. Journal of Nutrition. 1935;10:63–79.
Fontana L, et al. (2004). Long-term calorie restriction is highly effective in reducing the risk for atherosclerosis in humans. PNAS 101 (17): 6659-6663. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0308291101
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written by HealthyChick, July 15, 2009
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written by Dr Adrian Ternouth, July 16, 2009
With reasonable funding therefore the safety of achieving this in humans could be available within a decade or 2.
The majority of Gen X are NOT going to see medicine able to make them younger. Gen Y will. Gen X needs to invest in this technology to simply given themselves a 'skip forward' of 10 years, so that they too can enjoy the future. When you get that brain metastasis from your bowel cancer in 10 years, you will then have the opportunity to either jump forward 10 years for the cure OR die.
Your call Gen X!
Otherwise you are going to die of diseases that will be frequently curable within 10 years of their death - which will be annoying.
Everyone knows that medical research is accelerating... just attend any conference in basic medical research!! Some people are going to miss out and some are not. Which are you going to be?
Being dead is less fun!
Regards
Dr Adrian Ternouth
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written by Larry McElhinney, July 22, 2009
Here is the difference between the two concepts.
Life extension is 100% achievable and 100% provable.
Immortality is 100% unachievable and 100% unprovable.
Immortality is something that can never be proven because there is no finish line. Think of it this way, you have the same chance of reaching Infinity as you do Immortality. Zero percent.
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