Eternal Life?

TruthSeeker

TruthSeeker

Fancy Virtual Reality Monkey
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How do we age? Is there a way to revert that process so that we can live much longer?

Why can't we rejuvenate our mitochondriae? Or encourage our cells to continue to multiply in a normal way?

Why do we decay?
 
TruthSeeker said:
Why can't we rejuvenate our mitochondriae? Or encourage our cells to continue to multiply in a normal way?
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The number of possible cell divisions is limited by the length of the Telomeres, but they have not been studied enough at this point to make any universal conclusions:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telomere

"The phenomenon of limited cellular division was first observed by Leonard Hayflick. Significant discoveries were made by the team led by Professor Elizabeth Blackburn at the University of California - San Francisco. In 1998, Geron Corp. developed techniques for extending telomeres, and demonstrated that this prevented cellular senescence.

Advocates of human life extension promote the idea of lengthening the telomeres in certain cells through temporary activation of telomerase (by drugs), or possibly permanently by gene therapy. They reason that this would extend human life. So far these ideas have not been proven in humans."
 
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TruthSeeker said:
How do we age?
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The causes of aging are not fully understood, so if you’re looking for precise explanations then you are bound to be disappointed. It is a very complex biological phenomenon. The general senescent phenotype is characteristic of each species. One major theory sees our metabolism as the cause of our aging. According to this theory, aging is a by-product of normal metabolism; no mutations are required. Some of the oxygen atoms taken up by the mitochondria are reduced insufficiently to reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS can oxidize and damage cell membranes, proteins, and nucleic acids.

General wear-and-tear and genetic instability is another theory of aging and are among the oldest hypotheses proposed to account for the general senescent phenotype. As one gets older, small traumas to the body build up. Point mutations increase in number, and the efficiencies of the enzymes encoded by our genes decrease. Moreover, if a mutation occurred in a part of the protein synthetic apparatus, the cell would make a large percentage of faulty proteins. If mutations arose in the DNA-synthesizing enzymes, the rate of mutations would be expected to increase markedly.

The mutation rate in mitochondria is many times faster than the nuclear DNA mutation rate. It is thought that mutations in mitochondria could (1) lead to defects in energy production, (2) lead to the production of ROS by faulty electron transport, and/or (3) induce apoptosis. Age-dependent declines in mitochondrial function are seen in many animals, including humans.

In addition to environmental factors, there is also a genetic aging program -- several genes have been shown to affect aging. So as human life expectancy increases due to our increased ability to prevent and cure disease, we are still left with a general aging syndrome that is characteristic of our species. This is worth remembering because unless attention is paid to the genetic mechanisms controlling our aging syndrome, we risk ending up like Tithonios - the miserable wretch of Greek mythology to whom the gods awarded eternal life, but not eternal youth.

See previous thread: http://www.sciforums.com/showthread.php?t=50671
 
Carcano said:
The number of possible cell divisions is limited by the length of the Telomeres, but they have not been studied enough at this point to make any universal conclusions:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telomere

"The phenomenon of limited cellular division was first observed by Leonard Hayflick. Significant discoveries were made by the team led by Professor Elizabeth Blackburn at the University of California - San Francisco. In 1998, Geron Corp. developed techniques for extending telomeres, and demonstrated that this prevented cellular senescence.

Advocates of human life extension promote the idea of lengthening the telomeres in certain cells through temporary activation of telomerase (by drugs), or possibly permanently by gene therapy. They reason that this would extend human life. So far these ideas have not been proven in humans."
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Wow! That's very interesting. I would never thought of that! :)
 
Hercules Rockefeller said:
The causes of aging are not fully understood, so if you’re looking for precise explanations then you are bound to be disappointed. It is a very complex biological phenomenon. The general senescent phenotype is characteristic of each species. One major theory sees our metabolism as the cause of our aging. According to this theory, aging is a by-product of normal metabolism; no mutations are required. Some of the oxygen atoms taken up by the mitochondria are reduced insufficiently to reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS can oxidize and damage cell membranes, proteins, and nucleic acids.
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Yes. That's why anti-oxidants are important to keep us healthy and even younger for longer... :)


General wear-and-tear and genetic instability is another theory of aging and are among the oldest hypotheses proposed to account for the general senescent phenotype. As one gets older, small traumas to the body build up. Point mutations increase in number, and the efficiencies of the enzymes encoded by our genes decrease. Moreover, if a mutation occurred in a part of the protein synthetic apparatus, the cell would make a large percentage of faulty proteins. If mutations arose in the DNA-synthesizing enzymes, the rate of mutations would be expected to increase markedly.
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I guess our bodies are too complex to always "get it right"...:D
And there's so much going on all the time, that it is pretty impossible for mistakes NOT to occur within 100 years. But why do trees, whales and turtles live so much longer? Is it something to do with their metabolism? Or maybe their diets? I wonder if phytoplankton and chlorophil have something to do with this....

The mutation rate in mitochondria is many times faster than the nuclear DNA mutation rate. It is thought that mutations in mitochondria could (1) lead to defects in energy production, (2) lead to the production of ROS by faulty electron transport, and/or (3) induce apoptosis. Age-dependent declines in mitochondrial function are seen in many animals, including humans.
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Is there any way we could improve our mitochondriae. It seems they are one of the keys to our longevity.....

In addition to environmental factors, there is also a genetic aging program -- several genes have been shown to affect aging.
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I was wondering also if we are programmed to age. I know that lysosomes are sometimes programmed to explode to destroy some cells. Maybe all our cells are programmed in a similar way?

So as human life expectancy increases due to our increased ability to prevent and cure disease, we are still left with a general aging syndrome that is characteristic of our species. This is worth remembering because unless attention is paid to the genetic mechanisms controlling our aging syndrome, we risk ending up like Tithonios - the miserable wretch of Greek mythology to whom the gods awarded eternal life, but not eternal youth.
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Hell, yeah! :D
 
To rejuvenate us, we need some sort of very tough bacteria in every cell that eats our mitocondria and make a replacer every time things get old
 
But why do trees, whales and turtles live so much longer? Is it something to do with their metabolism?
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All of these creatures have extremely slow metabolisms. As a general rule, the faster the metabolism, the quicker you die. Small rodents for example will usually only live a few years in the wild, and their metabolisms are quite fast. A slow metabolism, again generally speaking, will mean a longer life span. I'm sure this is what is leading us to look at the mitochondria (this is the plural form, by the way -- mitochondrion is singular) as a possible source of aging, since they are an integral part of metabolism.
 
by what I read on straightdope.com, plants can outlive us because they have no central nervous system.

As we're taught, trees can be "partially dead". Therefore, they continue living, even though most of them is dead. Beings with central nervous systems are more "whole", so the whole body dies at a time.
 
But we don't want to be partially dead.

Anyway if we could have some sort of bacteria or virus system... that ate the mitochondria and spitted out another, well preserved one, it wouldn't be that hard. Seemingly impossible ofcourse.
 
There's much certain viruses or bacteria could do. It's off topic, but I've wondered what a virus which makes our cells synthesize psychotropic substances would be like... it'd definitely be cooler than synthesizing just plain toxins.
 
But why do trees, whales and turtles live so much longer? Is it something to do with their metabolism?
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Remember that trees (or any plant) exhibit indeterminate growth, meaning that they will continue to grow in mass and complexity until resources have run out. This is the opposite of the determinate growth we undergo as humans, meaning we are limited by a kind of maximum lifetime.

In any case, the "partially dead" components of trees are only dead phloem and xylem cells (the cells for transport of sugar and water, respectively), whose gaps between cell walls create tubes. This is similar to our nails or hair- these cells just reach functional maturity at death.

It's also curious to point out that while plants certainly lack a nervous system, they do possess an endocrine, or hormonal, system. This allows them to still react to external factors and may allow them to live longer.
 
Because we have a limited energy source, like the sun, or like everything else for that matter.
We waste energy in different ways, we even use this energy for thinking. We exercise, talk, think, struggle, suffer, sex... All that is wasting energy, nothing in this realm have an unlimited source of energy.
 
How do we age? Is there a way to revert that process so that we can live much longer?
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Why? To se tour family and friends all die? To outlive everyone to say you're the last?
 
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