Telomerase Elimination Leads Not Only to Extended Life, but also REGENERATION

[jordan179]

Harvard scientists have successfully not merely stopped but reversed the ageing process in mice (http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/nov/28/scientists-reverse-ageing-mice-humans).

The Harvard group focused on a process called

Comments

[sekhmetsat]

With the third-worlders breeding like rats, how do wee keep the population stable? All I see is massive amounts of people, with no way to support them. unless we DON'T give it to third-worlders. and do we REALLY need jihadists living forever? the end of civilization as we know it....

[jordan179]

I strongly suspect that the birthrate will drop as this technology spreads. So far, every time that a technology dropping deathrate has spread, it has led to a short-term population explosion followed by a long-term birth dearth. And having people live longer and healthier lives also means that more highly-skilled workers and professionals will be available to increase economic productivity.

Jihadist life spans will hopefully be kept short by the armed forces of the civilized world. I wasn't expecting us to win this war by having our enemies die of natural causes.

[marycatelli]

The world population is projected to go down within this century as it stands.

[ford_prefect42]

no worries about imortal jihadis. Suicide vests kill the wearer regardless of body chemistry.

[juliet_winters]

More reason for space travel. The place is going to get crowded. The economics will change radically, too, and there will probably be big changes in spirituality.

[jordan179]

Especially, reason for research into mass access to space technologies such as space elevators and various kinds of catapult launch systems.

[shockwave77598]

If it works, ummm... I'll temper my Yay! with the knowledge that my 150 years on Terra will be spent in more and more cramped areas as the illegals kid-factories continue to pump chilluns out in prodigous numbers, and all of them live to be 150 also. The horror of being crushed under "every sperm is sacred" 500 person families who cannot feed themselves gives me pause to wonder if wide use is such a good idea.

[jordan179]

Each new person is not merely a mouth to feed, but also a mind and pair of hands to produce. Of course, this will make socialist societies less sustainable.

[melvin_udall]

Of course, this will make socialist societies less sustainable.

Just the opposite if they get power before this can be mass produced.

[jordan179]

In my opinion the urge to live longer will be so overpowering that it will ride right over any social obstacles. The most that a master class attempting to limit the technology could accomplish would be to either spark a revolution against them, or temporarily restrict the technology to themselves. But it would inevitably spread, because it would make such a good bribe. And any country which did not restrict the technology could have its pick of highly-skilled elders for its professional and work forces.

[melvin_udall]

Not sure how I feel about this. We currently a Ruling Class attempting to take over all health related issues.

[jordan179]

I think the most the Ruling Class will able to do is to kill hundreds of millions of people due to preventable senescence, and then rewrite the history books so that nobody blames them, before bowing to the inevitable and legalizing the treatment.

All this of course assumes that the technology becomes practical.

[kishiriadgr]

I HAVE NEVER MET YOU BEFORE.

I AM STARTING TO FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU.

[kishiriadgr]

ENOUGH FOR HOOKERS AND BLOW, COME ON OVER.