'Humans could live for hundreds of years'

[MadChild]

From: http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_831657.html?menu=news.latestheadlines

Scientists say people could live active lives for hundreds of years if humans follow the same biological rules as laboratory worms.

By carefully tweaking genes and hormones, scientists extended the lifespan of the tiny roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans six times. In human terms, the worms stayed healthy and active for 500 years.

The researchers pointed out that the chief mechanism they tampered with - a signalling pathway involving insulin - was common in many species, including mammals.

But many people might find the price of immortality a little high. The worms with the longest lifespans also had their reproductive systems removed.

The life span extensions obtained by US and Portuguese scientists were the longest achieved for any organism.

Writing in the journal Science, the researchers said mutations that inhibit insulin/IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor) signalling can double the life span of C. elegans.

Removing precursor reproductive cells also extended lifespan by 60%. This was not due to sterility, but appeared to be the result of altered hormonal signalling.

Further genetic interference of mutation-carrying worms, plus the removal of their reproductive systems, produced lifespans six times longer than normal.

Both insulin and IGF-1 have similar biological signalling pathways in the body.

Insulin is a hormone with strong metabolic effects. It controls the level at which glucose is broken down, absorbed into the muscle cells and used to provide energy. IGF-1 stimulates cell replication and differentiation, and the synthesis of cellular products.

 

[PC1]

Don't know about worms, but I've also read that the theoretical "max" for humans is about 140 years old. The problem being, we just wear out over time.

 

[Cogar]

Don't know about worms, but I've also read that the theoretical "max" for humans is about 140 years old. The problem being, we just wear out over time.

I suspect that you are close. The book Life Extension: A Practical Scientific Approach by Durk Pearson and Sandy Shaw outline all of the factors that go into aging and it fills a very thick book. It would take more than a few genetic and hormonal tweaks to overcome everything involved in the aging process of an advanced mammal like a human.

 

[Ibanez]

I would also think people living an extra 100+ years longer would have more problems too. There would be more people so there would probably have to be more housing etc.

Yeah, I'm sure there are more complications to it than are shown.

 

[jminis]

Personally I wouldn't want to live that long. be

 

[khafra]

I would.
But that's even worse than the constant calorie deficit way of extending your life.
Kinda sucks that the most effective methods of life extension take away all the best reasons for living...

 

[Iron Warrior]

Personally I wouldn't want to live that long. be

Me either bro, I wouldn't wanna have be so old that someone had to wipe my ass and feed me

 

[BigVrunga]

Id love to be able to live for (a healthy and produtive) 500 years...you could do so much stuff! Be a pro bodybuilder, a scientist, incredible musician, think of all the great things that take decades to achieve mastery at - if you lived 5 times as long you could do 5 times as many incredible things with the time you have!

This thread reminds me of a story I read in the anthology "The Last Man on Earth" - this guy's friend was a scientist and he rerouted a few things in the body - the main side effect was that you couldnt reproduce, but you lived forever.

For me, I just want to be as healthy as possible for as long as possible I guess its all about preventative maitenance.

BigV

 

[MadChild]

<SPAN lang=EN-CA>But think of how many people you'd see die. You'd see everyone you love die and then you probably wouldn't get attached to anyone else knowing that they'd be gone. They wouldn't be able to share the stuff you've achieved over 500 years.</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-CA>
You'd also be alienated from the rest of society. For example, you establish a relationship with someone and get married, but she ages and you don't.
<SPAN lang=EN-CA></SPAN>

<SPAN lang=EN-CA>Also, what if everybody lived to be 500 years old? Then that would become the norm and you'd work your whole life and then have to retire at 465 years old. You wouldn't have more time for fun stuff, you'd just be required to accomplish more stuff...just like technology doesn't contribute more leisure time for us, it just requires us to work harder.</SPAN></SPAN>

 

[BigVrunga]

People work their asses off until they're 65 because they choose to, or they fall into that way of doing things because they don't know any better. From the time were in school, it gets beat into our heads that we have to excel, do well, go to college and work for someone else until were too old to move.
Well, thats a load of crap. If I lived for 500 years, Id spend the first 100 amassing an enourmous fortune, then Id do whatever the hell I wanted for the next 400.
As far as loved ones dying, I agree that would suck.

Did you ever read the sci-fi novel "Boat of A Million Years" - I think its by Poul Anderson. The book is about a small group of people on Earth that have a genetic mutation that makes them immortal, they live until the humans around them evolve into a new species.

But think of how many people you'd see die. You'd see everyone you love die and then you probably wouldn't get attached to anyone else knowing that they'd be gone. They wouldn't be able to share the stuff you've achieved over 500 years.</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-CA>
You'd also be alienated from the rest of society. For example, you establish a relationship with someone and get married, but she ages and you don't.
Also, what if everybody lived to be 500 years old? Then that would become the norm and you'd work your whole life and then have to retire at 465 years old. You wouldn't have more time for fun stuff, you'd just be required to accomplish more stuff...just like technology doesn't contribute more leisure time for us, it just requires us to work harder

 

[MadChild]

Only if everybody lived to be 500 years old would we have to work our asses off. I think it would be cool, but if after my first 100 years, and everyone that I know now would be dead, I'd probably not get attached to anyone. That's what strikes me as so weird about shows like Highlander, Macleod always wants to save the girl he gets involved with even though she'll just be a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of his life.

So I argree with you. You can become rich and successful in 500 years, but if 500 years became the average lifespan of everyone, then everything you gained in that 500 years would be relative to everyone else's gains, and therefore, you would be working the same amount as if the average lifespan was 80 years. Also, you'd still have to not get killed by other things like disease or cars or any other thing that mortal humans are succeptable to. I'm a healthy 20 year old, but I don't do things as if I am guaranteed to live to 90 or 100.

Originally posted by BigVrunga
People work their asses off until they're 65 because they choose to, or they fall into that way of doing things because they don't know any better. From the time were in school, it gets beat into our heads that we have to excel, do well, go to college and work for someone else until were too old to move.
Well, thats a load of crap. If I lived for 500 years, Id spend the first 100 amassing an enourmous fortune, then Id do whatever the hell I wanted for the next 400.
As far as loved ones dying, I agree that would suck.

Did you ever read the sci-fi novel "Boat of A Million Years" - I think its by Poul Anderson. The book is about a small group of people on Earth that have a genetic mutation that makes them immortal, they live until the humans around them evolve into a new species.

 

[BigVrunga]

That's what strikes me as so weird about shows like Highlander, Macleod always wants to save the girl he gets involved with even though she'll just be a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of his life

Maybe even an immortal thinks "Tis better to have loved and lost, then to have never loved at all"

Im sure that in a coupld hundred years, even a geeky dude could work himself up into quite a ladies man.

BigV

 

[Milo Hobgoblin]

....

There is no direct comaprison between a worm and a human.. even if they could manage those same tweaks in a human... we wouldnt live 6 times as long.

Maybe an additional 20 or 30 years but to make those years "usable" it would take enormous amounts of hormone therapy and multiple surgeries to maintain a fully functional body for 150 to 170 years.

Also consider the societal repercussions of having humans around that long... the economic burden... overpopulation.

80 years is a long time... unless you could maintain FULL functionality it would be hell to be thoat old and still know you had decades to go before you wree going to die.

and who in the hell would want to live that long and not be able to have sex????