Slashdot Mirror
Distributed Dirt Digging for Life-Extension Research
ReasonAtFightAging writes "When was the last time you really looked down at the ground you walk upon? The soil from your backyard - or the next street over, or a nearby graveyard, or the park across the way - could contain the key to advancing real anti-aging science: bacterial enzymes capable of repairing biochemical damage that accumulates with time and leads to age-related disease. So the dirt you stand on could contain a scientific breakthrough, and scientists want you — all of you, all around the world — to send a sample for analysis! One of the funding organizers notes: 'We're working hard to secure more funding to bring more manpower onto the project, so there is no danger of your sample being discarded because the researchers are swamped!'"
The irony here is that even if some magical anti-aging component was found in my dirt, it would take big pharma years to purify it, test it, and package it. And then they would sell my own dirt back to me for thousands and thousands of dollars.