Guest IvanShlivan Posted November 14, 2004 Share Posted November 14, 2004 Has any work been done to create an anti-aging medicine? Nostradamus mentions something about finding a cure for age. I know little of aging, but as far as I know the cells wear out from dividing. There must be something that could be done right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadn Posted November 14, 2004 Share Posted November 14, 2004 I know little of aging, but as far as I know the cells wear out from dividing. There must be something that could be done right? That is only one theory. There are several others. This site gives a good description of various aging theories: http://prolongyouth.com/theories.html#wearandtear I dont know what works been done in ant-aging, but its doubtful that we even come close to success until we know actually what it is that causes aging. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest IvanShlivan Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 Alright, thanks alot. Those make sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucidDreamer Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 Aging isn't really one process; it’s the breakdown of a hundred thousand different processes. In order to extend life beyond 120 years we would have prevent the breakdown of all those processes. Alot of these processes are controlled by similar mechanisms so its not as difficult as solving each one individually but still there is no one single process that can be prevented that would allow us to live for a greatly extended period of time. So far the life expectancy has been increased by concentrating on the things that are most likely to kill people like bacterial infection, trauma, heart disease, cancer, etc. This has been a gradual process with small leaps, like with the introduction of antibiotics. Chances are that it will continue to be a stepwise process that will gradually lengthen the life expectancy to a theoretical cap of around 120 years. Life can be extended even further by replacing the parts that are likely to break down first but this is a never ending battle because of all the parts that are going to break down. If you replace a person’s digestive system their heart breaks down. If you replace the heart their heart their circulatory system is still breaking down. You reach a problem with this because the brain cannot be replaced and it will break down soon too. So the solution might be to create some form of rejuvenation program that will effectively reverse the aging process. Of course no one has any clue how to do this because the body is not designed to age backwards. Perhaps you could create some kind of nanobot that traveled through the blood system and repaired tissue. You still run into the problem of trying to fix a million little things that are breaking down. I think the quickest solution to mortality, as sci-fi as it sounds, would be to transfer a persons consciousness to a clone. Of course this would not be easy, considering that the brain is extremely complex with billions of connections. But it still seems easier to me because you only have to concentrate on preserving the functions of one organ and you can create a fresh body with a clone (moral implications aside). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
science∞REB Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 i think they have almost tried to make a nanobot, but not sure anyway, it would be VERY hard to replace all of the obsolete bodyparts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rakuenso Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 oxygen ages us too =) gotta hate those free radicals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milkman Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 Yep, with time oxygen begins to destroy body cells. The reason why some animals do not show signs of aging as they get older is due to antioxidants in their bodies. Taking antioxident pills seems to be the new fad for staying young, although their effects on humans have not been proven yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Verusamore Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 Yeh I would think if our bodies age because the deteriation of the body is being caused by oxygen then 'anti-oxidants' would do the job . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mak10 Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 I don't rememder the details but I do remember two scientists figuring out the cause of aging... some 'kiss of death' property of certain protease enzymes that break down other cells in the process and cause what we call as aging. they say the process can be inhibited and stuff. and i think they were chosen for the Nobel Prize this year for their research... cool, eh? -mak10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MolecularMan14 Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 what of the role of the cell's "timed life". What about the use of talymerays (sp) for the automatic destruction of cells to make room for new? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadn Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 Yep, with time oxygen begins to destroy body cells. The reason why some animals do not show signs of aging as they get older is due to antioxidants in their bodies. Taking antioxident pills seems to be the new fad for staying young, although their effects on humans have not been proven yet. Lets see, thats one of about 19 or so other theories. I highly doubt that this is the sole cause of aging, if its even a major reason at that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadn Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 Yep, with time oxygen begins to destroy body cells. The reason why some animals do not show signs of aging as they get older is due to antioxidants in their bodies. Taking antioxident pills seems to be the new fad for staying young, although their effects on humans have not been proven yet. Lets see, thats one of about 19 or so other theories. I highly doubt that this is the sole cause of aging, if its even a major reason at that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milkman Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 Aging is caused by a combination of different reasons. The one that I mentioned was just on of them. There was a show on BBC a while ago dealing with this issue. I think it was called "Explorations" or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milkman Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 Aging is caused by a combination of different reasons. The one that I mentioned was just on of them. There was a show on BBC a while ago dealing with this issue. I think it was called "Explorations" or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Typhi Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 What if you could find a way for your body to regenerate your organs so they won't break down? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucidDreamer Posted November 24, 2004 Share Posted November 24, 2004 What if you could find a way for your body to regenerate your organs so they won't break down? Might be possible, but that's a long way off. There is no one drug that will completely regenerate all of your organs. My guess is that the only way this could be done is through genetic engineering and biological/mechanical enhancement. The hominid that accomplishes this will no longer be homo Sapiens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now