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Doctors Baffled, Intrigued By Girl Who Doesn't Age

Posted by kdawson on from the fountain-of-youth-or-maybe-it's-a-cataract dept.

phyrebyrd writes "Brooke Greenberg is the size of an infant, with the mental capacity of a toddler. She turned 16 in January. Brooke hasn't aged in the conventional sense. Dr. Richard Walker of the University of South Florida College of Medicine, in Tampa, says Brooke's body is not developing as a coordinated unit, but as independent parts that are out of sync. She has never been diagnosed with any known genetic syndrome or chromosomal abnormality that would help explain why. Brooke's hair and her nails are the only two things that grow, Howard said. 'She has pajamas and outfits that are 10 or 12 years old,' he said."

5 of 599 comments (clear)

  1. I don't have anything really smart to say by cml4524 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It just struck me reading that... it must really, REALLY suck being the first person to ever have a particular disease.

    1. Re:I don't have anything really smart to say by marcello_dl · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Old age is a feature, not a bug. With less turn-over it would be difficult to life as a whole to adapt to changing environment. It has drawbacks as knowledge lost by the dead individual. Advanced life forms overcome that with culture.

      Earlier simpler life forms probably lacked the aging feature, and were superseded by others who had it.

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  2. Re:Brooke is a deviation by MyLongNickName · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Dude. Lay off the weed.

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  3. No, she is aging too by aepervius · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Some of her body part , like bone structure, are 10 years old. Thus it sounds doubtful she will reach the multi-centenarian age you cited. They tried to communicate with her , tried to teach her speaking but it failed. Anyway there is a rearrangement of the pharynx/larynx at the venerable age of 1/2 years old which is needed to be able to physically speak. Without it you can't. Maybe a doctor/biologist can chime in.

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  4. Re:She seems to grow by GauteL · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Before the movie "50 First Dates", there was a sci-fi short story that posited this, with horrifying consequences"

    It must suck that your example of this is a crappy rom-com with Adam Sandler rather than a brilliant film like Memento.