life extension for real?

Post by **bitWISE** » Mon Jun 26, 2006 6:00 pm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4003063.stm

I had no idea this kind of stuff was so well researched. You guys think it will happen?

I don't know about it being available to my generation but I think we'll be able to do it within the next century.

Post by **werldhed** » Mon Jun 26, 2006 6:06 pm

Extending lifespans has been researched for a while, particularly by manipulating DNA telomeres. I think de Grey has a different approach, but his is much more theoretical.

Personally, I don't think too much about de Grey; he's not well published if I recall.

I had a conversation with MQ about this guy and his theories a while ago... I'll see if I can dig it up again...

EDIT: Found it: http://www.quake3world.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11319

Post by **4days** » Mon Jun 26, 2006 6:07 pm

what a stupid beard.

Post by **plained** » Mon Jun 26, 2006 6:09 pm

wa was it de grey?

Post by **seremtan** » Mon Jun 26, 2006 7:37 pm

well, since copying errors creeping in during mitosis is a major part of ageing, it's physically possible i guess

Post by **SplishSplash** » Mon Jun 26, 2006 7:41 pm

De Grey may not be all that credible, but he's the only guy who really focuses on this area.

At least he brings attention to the field.
Other scientists don't seem to care much about dying for some reason.

Post by **tnf** » Mon Jun 26, 2006 8:39 pm

It won't be happening soon IMHO. But people who read the bible literally believe that people used to live to 900+ years, so maybe they were actually right...hmmm. I wouldn't be surprised to see average life spans extend to 100 years in the next 30 years or so....

Post by **feedback** » Mon Jun 26, 2006 8:53 pm

I reckon coupled with that you'll also see a rising suicide rate for the sandwich generation (20-40's) as well as increased rates of child and elder abuse. Living longer is only a good thing if the people still have very high quality of life.

Post by **Pext** » Mon Jun 26, 2006 8:59 pm

i've allready got the hots for regular grannys. but with this...

Post by **Underpants?** » Mon Jun 26, 2006 9:22 pm

just what we need, a buncha 1,000 year old pricks driving around 20-35 mph slower than everyone else, or else holding up a line of 12 people whilest staring like pasty, drooling chimps at the automated checkout screen in the grocery.

Post by **Underpants?** » Mon Jun 26, 2006 9:23 pm

...not to mention landfills overflowing with used depends and colostomy bags.

Post by **Massive Quasars** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 12:34 am

feedback wrote:I reckon coupled with that you'll also see a rising suicide rate for the sandwich generation (20-40's) as well as increased rates of child and elder abuse. Living longer is only a good thing if the people still have very high quality of life.

The process is somewhat self-correcting, if indefinitely long life is universally insurmountably burdensome people will off themselves prematurely to end their misery. Therefore rendering life spans something less than indefinitely long for the vast majority of individuals in this scenario.

------

"life extension for real?"

It's not here yet, so no.

Aubrey's activism is admirable, involuntary death is an obstacle to many a long-term goal. I'm not equipped to critique his theoretical work, but he's gotten some not so insignificant attention from the scientific community. His work apparently isn't outright easily dismissed, but from the scientific criticisms that will/is follow(ing) I suspect something good will come of it either way.

A $20,000 SENS challenge was organized with the aim of debunking SENS over at the MIT TechReview. As I understand it, they've yet to announce the winner(s).

http://www.technologyreview.com/sens/

These are the judges.

Rodney Brooks, PhD, director of MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, and chief technical officer of iRobot Corp. IRobot is one of the most successful makers of robots in the world.

Anita Goel, MD and PhD, founder and chief executive of Nanobiosym.

Vikram Kumar, MD, cofounder and chief executive of Dimagi, and a pathologist at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

Nathan Myhrvold, PhD, cofounder and chief executive of Intellectual Ventures, and former chief technologist at Microsoft.

J. Craig Venter, PhD, founder of the Venter Institute. Venter developed the process called whole-genome shotgun sequencing, which sped up the human genome project.

Post by **MKJ** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 12:38 am

yes, we need more people :icon14:

Post by **day** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 1:44 am

i'd only go for this if the words "Time Extended" flash brightly over my vision every time i reach a turning point in my life

Post by **Synergy** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 2:04 am

We don't have enough room as it is.

Post by **I cant spell u** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 2:55 am

I wouldn't want to live to be 1,000 years old anyways.

Post by **Transient** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 3:03 am

I would. I think.

Post by **Tormentius** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 8:20 pm

I cant spell u wrote:I wouldn't want to live to be 1,000 years old anyways.

Why not?

Post by **SplishSplash** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 8:22 pm

I just wish people would stop saying we have enough people and the planet is overcrowded already and stuff. Like wars couldn't take care of that.

No, the real problem with immortality is that people would stop doing things. Procrastination ad infinitum, literally.

Post by **Captain** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 8:30 pm

So...basically you're saying...there'd be a demand for more plumbers?

Post by **[xeno]Julios** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 8:31 pm

wars actually don't serve as effective population checks.

Post by **Captain** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 8:33 pm

Except for the States

Post by **Grudge** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 8:34 pm

Wars are effective in keeping the population in check though.

Post by **Ryoki** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 8:48 pm

Not these pussy wars we got nowadays. All that counter insurgency crap... shoot someone here, burn a hut there.... what ever happened to huge tank battles and mindless trench warfare?

Post by **Grudge** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 8:51 pm

No, I meant controlling your own population by making them fear an external enemy a la Orwell.