http://www.futurepundit.com/archives/004218.html
This article relates to a paper by Aubrey de Grey which states: "We should view aging as ultimately curable just as cancer researchers view cancer as ultimately curable."
Aging as a curable ailment
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Aging as a curable ailment
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This is something that seems to be coming up more and more frequently with "solutions" varying from stopping the release of certain horomones to altering the human genome, but there's an example most of us are familiar with that we need to be wary of.
Bean, everyone's favorite little genetic manipulation reminds us of the question of what we consider aging. Now, we all have the idea of what we consider our prime, but when exactly is the time we want to stop aging? Or is it only certain procesess of aging we want to stop? Should we, as with Bean, allow our minds to grow as they do in early childhood until our other systems can barely keep up with the growth?
Truth is, I'm not very knowledgeable about biology, and someone who is would better serve to give an idea of exactly what happens to the body as it grows and ages, but I'm sure that there are many other questions that need to be resolved around this issue, before we even get into the method of doing it, or the moral quandaries that surround it.
Bean, everyone's favorite little genetic manipulation reminds us of the question of what we consider aging. Now, we all have the idea of what we consider our prime, but when exactly is the time we want to stop aging? Or is it only certain procesess of aging we want to stop? Should we, as with Bean, allow our minds to grow as they do in early childhood until our other systems can barely keep up with the growth?
Truth is, I'm not very knowledgeable about biology, and someone who is would better serve to give an idea of exactly what happens to the body as it grows and ages, but I'm sure that there are many other questions that need to be resolved around this issue, before we even get into the method of doing it, or the moral quandaries that surround it.
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I am no molecular biologist but from my understanding, our cells replicate by dividing. Make copies of themselves. Much like recording VHS tapes, each subsequent copy is fuzzier, hence over time our cells deteriorate. (I don't know, mitochondria, RNA whatever in the cells)
I think it is possible to prevent the deterioration of the human body, highly unnatural and unethical but one day possible in the far far future. Right now, they're just working on slowing aging I think.
I think it is possible to prevent the deterioration of the human body, highly unnatural and unethical but one day possible in the far far future. Right now, they're just working on slowing aging I think.
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- KillEvilBanned
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More precisely, every time DNA replicates it becomes a little bit shorter. Eventually it chews through long bits of so-called "junk" on the ends of the helices into the actual genes.I am no molecular biologist but from my understanding, our cells replicate by dividing. Make copies of themselves. Much like recording VHS tapes, each subsequent copy is fuzzier, hence over time our cells deteriorate. (I don't know, mitochondria, RNA whatever in the cells)
I think it is possible to prevent the deterioration of the human body, highly unnatural and unethical but one day possible in the far far future. Right now, they're just working on slowing aging I think.
However, aging has many other mechanisms, many of which are not understood.
Yep, that's the mechanism that gives the expiration date of a cell, the moment where the cell runs out of chromosome ends (telomers), due to successive shortening due reproduction.
But all along the cell's life, along the many times it will reproduce, the genes become damaged. Copy processes makes mistakes, always. The information becomes corrupted. Eventually the genes are so unreliable that proteins produced are useless. In this moment, through a certain mechanism, the cell is given the order to die, which she does, unless she has become cancerous.
There are other mechanisms that cause genetic damage; one of the best known is the oxidization of the celular medium, due to the presence of free radicals (mainly molecules with ionized oxigen) (this is why diet poor in sugars helps you stay younger, most of the free radicals come from faulty burning of sugar).
Our body ages because cells information is starting to get corrupted, and the proteins produced are of bad quality. We die when the cells that need to be killed are so many, or when the the presence of bad proteins is so pervasive, that eventually lead to a critical failure of the whole system.
*** Waiting to be corrected by our resident biologist *** ^_-
But all along the cell's life, along the many times it will reproduce, the genes become damaged. Copy processes makes mistakes, always. The information becomes corrupted. Eventually the genes are so unreliable that proteins produced are useless. In this moment, through a certain mechanism, the cell is given the order to die, which she does, unless she has become cancerous.
There are other mechanisms that cause genetic damage; one of the best known is the oxidization of the celular medium, due to the presence of free radicals (mainly molecules with ionized oxigen) (this is why diet poor in sugars helps you stay younger, most of the free radicals come from faulty burning of sugar).
Our body ages because cells information is starting to get corrupted, and the proteins produced are of bad quality. We die when the cells that need to be killed are so many, or when the the presence of bad proteins is so pervasive, that eventually lead to a critical failure of the whole system.
*** Waiting to be corrected by our resident biologist *** ^_-
I think it is unnatural to prevent the deterioration of the human body. Physical immortality is not natural.Unnatural? unethical?
Please, explain.
Natural is: birth -> life -> death.
It is unethical as well. Overpopulation for one. I don't have the strength to explain right now, I'm tired
Last edited by Scott on Thu Aug 30, 2007 11:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Yes I do believe in medicine, I see no contradiction at all. Unnatural is something that is contrary to the laws of nature, like immortality would be. I never said I was against all things that are unnatural, I was stating I am against physical immortality.Scott, do you believe in any medicine at all? Because if you do, that sounds like a contradiction.
I am not against prolonging human life, I am all for it. If science can extend the life span to 150 years, fine. If scientists can slow down aging, fine... but I am against completely preventing old age.
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I think a clarification of "natural" is also in order. After all, I can suck down the most processed chunks of food and I can claim its "all natural" because every element of it is naturally found in...nature. And if we state that processing something negates its natural qualities then even sandwiches (all organic) are unnatural. So, I think we all need to hear what "natural" means. Besides, some people naturally live to be REALLY old (the women in my stepbrother's family have all lived to be over 100). Natural?
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