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Tweaked Genes Can Double Worm's Lifespan
jlechem writes ">New Scientist is reporting that U.S. scientists have doubled the life span of nematode worms with no apparent physiological side affects. Before scientists were able to double the worms lifespan but they were unable to reproduce. The breakthrough was achieved by turning certain genes on and off at certain times during the development cycle of the worms. While limited to worms right now, the researchers believe this could eventually lead to longer human lifespans. So what happens to those people who don't want to live forever?"
I claim thos for uiuc.test
I would think that the main problem with pushing the lifespan of any animal would be that certain organs begin to fail first, organs like the heart or liver.
Carpe meam simiam!
you die
Sig you!
So what happens to those people who don't want to live forever?
Suicide?
In mathematics, one does not understand things, one merely gets used to them.
--VonNeumann
If the daf-2 gene has the same effects in fruit flies and mice (and presumably humans), and it controls two separate pathways (reproduction and longevity) in all those organisms, there may be a good reason why the linkage between the two systems is preserved across millions of years of evolution.
Suppose longevity is limited in order to make room in the ecosystem for the next generation, so that older critters (with damaged DNA, or an inability to reproduce) don't crowd out the young?
If only a few young survive, then there may not be enough to perpetuate the species.
Perhaps the two systems are linked because when the link is lost, the species dies out, because there are not enough resources to support both an aged population and a large enough reservoir of young reproductively active critters to ensure against decline?
Is this the whimper that T. S. Eliot wrote about?
Free book: Science Toys You Can Make
I think that all of this research is harmful, and that's without even bringing the "don't play god argument"
If everyone lived forever, and continued to have children, we would overpopulate the earth and starve.
Hunting season? its for the good of the deer and such, if we didnt keep the populations down, they would use all of their resources, and starve.
If we could double the lifetime of humans, than twice the resources would be in use, because just because you live longer doesnt mean you arent gonna have any children, you will probably want to have more of them
sure it would be nice not the have to deal with grandma dying, but we should worry about feeding the mouths we already have before we worry about making those mouths live forever
Conscience is the inner voice that warns us somebody is looking - H.L. Mencken
This would only, at best, stop the aging process. You could still die from a disease or accident. Of course, the possibility of a long productive life might make everyone unwilling to take even the slightest risk with their lifes, which might make life dull and not worth living, which might lead one to take unreasonable risks and die. I suppose there is a fixed-point solution to this.
"So what happens to those people who don't want to live forever?"
Only the people who want to live forever will pay to have it done.
(id imagine this cant be cheap for a while)
(and besides, 200 years isnt forever).
This
I don't know about all of you, but I'd gladly settle to live twice as long for the "sacrafice" of not being able to have children.
social sciences can never use experience to verify their statemen
Let's just hope the Worm's name isn't KLEZ. I don't need KLEZ soaked in wine and running amuk around my environemnt.
-1 Offtopic, not funny
WTPOUAWYHTTOTWPA
What's the point of using acronyms when you have to type out the whole phrase anyways?
fact: your butt, nose and ears will last a lot longer if you stop picking them.
I've already had children, so sign me up!
"New Scientist is reporting that U.S. scientists have doubled the life span of nematode worms with no apparent physiological side affects."
It may not be apparent now, but mark my words those poor worms will soon bear an uncanny resemblance to Dick Clark.
Let me get this straight:
If the inability to reproduce is not a "side affect" then it must be the main "affect" therefore making the doubled life-span a "side affect" of their new "anti-fertility treatment." I knew those nasty scientist were trying to kill us all off...
Bah!
If it was possible to live a health lifetime that's N times as long as we currently enjoy, *and* if it was possible to have children near the end of that longer life, then you could still have children. Just not at the beginning of your life. Instead near the end. Win win!
Having children is a win?
;-)
Let's see:
* changing messy diapers
* putting up with lip
* hyperactive yelling
* fights
* std's
* drugs
* "come here, come here, come here, here, here, here-here-here!"
* "No, no, no-no-no-no-no-no! NO! NO!"
* "Will you give me that,"
* "I dunno"
* "It wasn't me"
* $200,000 dollars for college
Yes, having kids is a real win win situation. *laughs*
social sciences can never use experience to verify their statemen
But what about the worm's quality of life? Did anyone stop to think about that?
I think that with the introduction of something like this in humans we will have a massive protest from groups on the religious right who see this as a circumvention of God's will. As such, I can see a surge in support of the right to die movement as people try to hold on to "traditional" times of death.
I see this a positive thing as it will hopefully lead to greater control for people over their own lives (and where it ends) by removing some of the stigma associated with ending ones own life in contemporary society.
"Hey brother Christian with your high and mighty errand / your actions speak so loud I can't hear a word you're saying"
This sets me to thinking about a true, built in dividing line that has the potential to divide humanity physiologically into classes of "haves" and "have nots." While the inhabitants of wealthy nations may be able to afford the kind of genetic tailoring necessary to lead to increased life spans those in poorer nations will almost certainly be unable to implement these kinds of measures for their children. THe end result could be an even greater disregard among wealthy nations such as the US for the well-being of the inhabitants of poor nations.
Instead of merely sloughing off undesireable industries to these nations with only cursory safety protocols, these protocols may be seen as unnecessary, as, in comparison to the genetically tailored upper class of the world, the longevity of these "lesser" humans is seen as unimportant as a result of their already "inferior" lifespans. In other words, a decade plus or minus is inconsequential.
Take these words as you wish, but i can see this as a possibility in some kind of future world with this kind of advanced biotech.
"Hey brother Christian with your high and mighty errand / your actions speak so loud I can't hear a word you're saying"
I've only ever seen the one kid, but I swear the couple down the road have triplets.
Their names are
Ahh - My eye!
The doctor said I'm not supposed to get Slashdot in it!
Damn, might live to collect it after all... only to have it not pay for more than 1% of the genetic treatment that got me there!
I only look human.
My mother is a halfling and my dad is an ogre, so that makes me an Ogreling
Dealing with overpopulation and fighting over land/resources needs to be addressed first. Putting humankind in space, building up instead of clearing every last forest, etc., needs to be accomplished before we can increase lifespans, thereby increasing world population. I mean, people are still fighting over land today. Look at Isreal and Palestine: that is about land and resources; religion is simply a scapegoat to justify violence, in an ironic sort of way.
having two small children myself, i just assumed that preventing reproduction was the reason that they lived twice as long...
Children are not a blessing, they're a burden. That's why I'll never have any. This is a win-win situation.
if they could find a way to make you live twice as long without doing all the gene manipulation at the fetal stage, you could always store your sperm (assuming you're a guy) in a sperm bank before going for the treatment.
not that i'd want to have kids though.