Who Wants to Live Forever
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Thousands of years and millions of lives have been spent on trying to live longer than meted out to us by nature. It is not enough to defeat death, is much more important for us to defeat oldness. No one wanted to live hundreds of years like an old man, with weak muscles, blind eyes and a slow mind. We tried to find a solution in the religions, legends, witchcraft and alchemy. Can modern technology help us?
The natural limit
Recent studies have shown that despite the increasing life expectancy worldwide, the maximum age of people has not changed. In fact the natural limit of human life was found, and it is about 110-115 years.
Scientists from Albert Einstein College of Medicine analyzed a database of human mortality. Previously it was assumed that the improvement of the living conditions (health, hygiene, nutrition), will influence on the maximum age of a person and he will grow together with life expectancy.
Yes, the average life expectancy has almost doubled in the last hundred years. Today, in developed countries, more and more people reach the age of 70-80 and these figures continue to grow. In Japan even canceled a traditional gift from government to citizens over the age of 100 years (previously gave a silver Sake thicket), these people became too much.
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But the maximum age has not changed for the last hundred years. The percentage of people who died at the age of 100-110 years remains the same. For example in 1860 the oldest man of Sweden died at the age of 101 years, in 1990 at the age of 108. A chance to overcome the mark of 110 years, falls to 1 of 10000 centenarians. Modern medicine can only help to overcome the threat of senile diseases (reduce mortality from heart disease at the age of 70-80). But after 100 — 110 all systems of the body wear out and there is nothing to treat. It's impossible to increase these figures of inexorable statistics, it's our limit. Further development of medicine and control of communicable and chronic diseases can increase life expectancy, but not the maximum age.
The lifespan of a living organism is very different from species to species. Within species, this indicator is always the same. Without disease and predators the lifespan of individual species grows, but this figure can't be increased indefinitely. We will start to get old the same age as now, but this period will be longer. It turns out that the main task is not to increase the maximum term of life, and to stop ageing at a certain stage.
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What is aging?
Aging is a complex biological process, which leads to a gradual disturbance and loss of important functions in the body and decrease the adaptability and resistance of the organism to external influences (the immune system weakens). In other words, the older you get, the more chances you have to die, ageing is the age-specific mortality rate. For example: if you're 20, then the probability that you will die naturally before the age of 21 years is 10:1000. But if you are 80, chances are that you won't live to 81 is 60:1000. it's called "accelerated decrepitude".
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There are many theories of why do we age, but scientists have not been able to find a definite answer to this question. The problem is that you have to understand where to look. From the variety of all available theories it is possible to emphasize two basic.
The theory of evolution
Old age is a gift | curse of evolution. Every living species has its life cycle. Like many other organisms on the earth we have a cycle which consists of 3 periods: growing up, puberty-reproduction and wilting. The duration of each of periods depends on the environmental conditions. Than harsher the influence of external effects and more dangers for the organism, the shorter and more efficient will be the life cycle. It allows species to adapt quickly and maintain their population, old individuals free way to young, increasing the survival of the species.
Conclusion in the framework of this theory: aging is a time bomb that starts the process of decay, after overcoming a certain threshold (after the performance of the reproductive function). Based on this theory the main objective in the struggle with old age is finding a "trigger mechanism" of the aging process for our species and turn it off or slow down.
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One theory of how evolution could lead to the emergence of life after reproduction: The old segment of the population need to maintain stability of the population in cycles of abundance and famine. In good times they eat excess food and prevent excessive growth of population. When food is scarce, they die first.
It is worth noting that there are many species with other life cycles and life expectancy.
- Sequoias live 1000 years and not age, they die because of their own size or diseases.
- Red sea urchin instead of withering cycle have a cycle of dismissive of aging. After the puberty the processes of change of body are so slow that it can be called eternal life.
- Royal jelly Queen bees disables aging, they are always in the cycle of reproduction until the sperm of drones will end.
- Trogoderma glabrum can stop the development cycles and go back in their development, if they fall in adverse conditions. They turn from gerridae back to centipede.
Using the evolutionary approach to aging, scientists need to find the bodies/enzymes/hormones that affect life cycles. They can be found in the human body, or need create a method of their adding to our body from other creatures (e.g. jelly for the Queen bee- She usual lives for 5 years, and other bees 30 days, the difference in 60 times.)
The genetic theory
The second theory is the theory of accumulation of mutations and damage. In simple words, it is the natural wear and tear of the body. The aging process is not determined by evolution, it's the result of continuous division of cells for life support. (DNA mutates due to frequent damages that occur during cell division).
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The exact same the division activity of stem cells is reduced, and it's depending on how many times they divided before. After division the chromosomes lose their telomeres, the markers which are responsible for the correct course of the division processes. There is a mutation or loss of certain genes with age. (a gene is a piece of DNA). In consequence cells can, for example, to synthesize protein worse, and generally can't consume adequate calories for normal functioning. Thus the loss of efficiency and the proper functioning of cells lead to slow degradation (aging) of the whole body. Nothing can work forever, especially at such high activity.
If the cause of aging in this, the main task is to find the genes that undergone changes after continuous cell division and lead to aging. Affecting these genes, is possible to slow down the pace of human aging and even to abolish it. The human genome contains 20-25 thousand active genes. It's not as bad as finding a needle in a haystack.
Achievements
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Modern researches are actively exploring the issue of ageing in both directions, in the genetic and evolutionary. Moreover, attempts to defeat aging with the help of the gifts of evolution are used by people for a long time (traditional medicine).
By trial, error and random observations, people from ancient times have determined that the use of certain species of plants and animals for food (or their parts) gives the effects of rejuvenation. Today scientists study all these "preservation of youth" sources, at the molecular level to understand how they impact on our body. You can see results in cosmetics for beginning.
16%
The genetic studies are going faster and more efficiently, on first glance. So scientists from the U.S. and Japan announced the start of clinical trials of drugs against aging. Research new drug based on the substance of nicotinamide mononucleotide, NMN, have already been conducted on animals. Substance NMN activates genes that are responsible for the production of a protein sirtuin, known as the "elixir of youth". Experiments on mice showed an increase in maximum lifespan by 16%. Important point: sirtuin shifts the time of starting of the aging process, but does not stretch the period of aging. Ie managed to push back the aging period, making the period of maturity more longer.
60%
After ten years of research that was aimed at the study of aging, scientists have obtained a list of 238 specific genes. Laboratory tests and experiments have shown that their deletion significantly extends life of yeast cells, experimental cells lived 60% longer. These genes are contained in our genome. A small number of genes directly affected on the aging, while 189 of 238 responsible for processes that indirectly affect life expectancy.
Are we in the boat or overboard?
Given the time necessary for proper examination and tests, not to mention the introduction of these rejuvenation techniques on the market, we hardly have time to take advantage of these results. By the time our bodies will be already quite old, we will cross the line where it was time to slow down the aging process.
Our generation needs to seek a solution in another direction: cybernetization of the body. Today we are able to replace a number of bodies on artificial implants, which are well accustomed. Ranging from prosthetic limbs and ending the artificial liver, lungs and heart. We are even able to control electronic appliances using the power of thought. But the main body, the functionality of which we need to extend and preserve- is the brain.
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We are not able to create artificial body imitating the work (not the scheme, namely, the work) of our brain, and probably will not be able in the coming decades. A more realistic option is the digitization and transfer of consciousness into another media type, which is integrated into a cybernetic body. But we still can not determine what is consciousness, soul and feelings, therefore not able to simulate them. Can we save humanity on this way? ...
Good Article, though I disagree with your conclusion.
It is already possible to 3d-print some organs based on your own tissue, so it is compatible with your body.
And that's already available.
On top of that, technology grows exponentially.
And with growth, the technology becomes cheaper and more wide-spread as well (Unless it's regulated by governments ...).
Heck, there are attempts, and beliefs, that it will be possible to print food soon which will solve the problem of pollution caused by agriculture/meat production.
What does that mean to us?
That means we will live long enough to get to a point where we can essentially replenish our bodies. Or at least keep them the same.
Though it is important to take care of your body.
As you pointed out, it might be too late for us once all this happen. But what that means to me is, don't be foolish and take care of yourself. Eat proper food, move your body and connect with people.
I do not quite understand with what you disagree: you not agree that we may not be able to survive?
Yes we can change our bodies, but we have only 115 years for our brain.
the brain is just another organ.
Once we understand it more it can be fixed also.
Augmentation for example.
It can be SUPER CHARGED...
it's already happening...neural nets.
Yes, i will make my next post about it, what we have reached in this direction, and what problems we have.
And a small spoiler: we still don't have the exact topology of neural connections of our brain, it limits our ability in augmentation.
Oh wow @natord, what a great post. There is definitely a huge monetary reward to the first group to uncover the secret to stop aging. We shall see if it can be unlocked.
I'm glad that you like it, and thank you!
Following!
Thank you! you are my 90 follower, cheers! :)
Why do we have to rely in artificial solutions instead of not trying to follow the natural way of living ?
Well, because many of people don't want die or aging. It is a personal choice, and you ask right question: everyone must think wants he live longer thanks technologies or not.
Technology offers us a great freedom but... at the same time more slavery. In modern society we have educated to wait solutions from someone outside from ourselves. Unfortunately that expands to our own health. In short if we have the ability to know how the human body works beyond the logic of the western civilization then the road to longevity is open for everyone .
Very interesting.
I've heard that seventy is the new fifty....or something.
My father in law died the other day.
Next month he would have been 103.
He died from sorrow. He was in perfect health (for his age). His daughter (almost eighty) died unexpectedly . After her funeral he just grieved himself to death. He'd already lost two wives (one of fifty years of marriage, one of twenty, sequentially) and another daughter...(my wife)
The cumulative load of sorrow was too much.
so he died.
Memorial services will be held in Hale Center Texas next Sunday...
Jack W. Smith.
A good man, No really...a truly GOOD man...a saint... The best man I've ever known.
(at one time I'd have guessed that there would be thousands at his funeral...theres still might be. He knew everyone is five counties. Today? not so much...he outlived them all. The grand children, the great grand children and great great grand children of his peers didn't know him.)
He had many, great, great grand children of his own....my grand kids for example.
(perhaps a great, great, GREAT, grandkid...I think one of my nieces was due)
Nice post @natord! :)
Thank you @justtryme90 :)
I guess this 110-115 limit is an average. What is the standard deviation associated with it so that one could have an idea of the spread?
According to researches it's an absolute limit for all our biological species, not average.
Oh, that's surprizing. Do you have further references?
You can find more data here: The Human Mortality Database, but read they methods before.
I didn't found information about other research about maximum limit, only about life expectancy.
Thanks I will have a look!
Today we have official record in lifetime:
Jeanne Louise Calment - 122 years. According to this research we can say that she won lottery 1:10000 every year after age 110
Which may mean there is a tail in the distribution :p But let me read first the reference :)