Can modern biology and medicine make us immortal?

Discussion in 'Biology & Genetics' started by Saint, Jan 17, 2020.

  1. spidergoat pubic diorama Valued Senior Member

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    Without death, there would be no social progress.

    I believe this was all addressed in the movie "Zardoz".
     
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  3. Q-reeus Banned Valued Senior Member

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    [Above quoted from p1 #15]
    Huh?! When and how did you recently wake up to reality? I recalled coming across two 'live forever' proclamations, but a search using 'live forever' under your moniker reveals:
    http://www.sciforums.com/posts/3588945/ July 2019 - 6 months ago
    http://www.sciforums.com/posts/3430396/
    http://www.sciforums.com/posts/3423728/
    http://www.sciforums.com/posts/3420741/
    Etc. etc.
    The great majority of posts there make it clear what you unrealistically expected (or privately still expect), with just a few contradictory ones. Care to attempt reconciling those with your #15 here?
     
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  5. paddoboy Valued Senior Member

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  7. paddoboy Valued Senior Member

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    Here's another.....
    See the little winky winky at the end qreeus?

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    and again....

    "I did jump out of an airplane a couple of years ago, while buddy skydiving.

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    I wanted to knock that off my bucket list, before I calk it.

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    Not that that will be any time soon: I aim to live forever and so far I'm doing OK!"

     
  8. paddoboy Valued Senior Member

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    Just had my 6 monthly regular check up qreeus....Great, all clear!! No probs at all. I know you wish me continued good health.

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    I can feel it through cyber space!

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    Last time in hospital for any time was when I was 18, for removal of a medial meniscus after tearing it playing Rugby League. Any more info you need, just ask, glad to alleviate your condition.

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  9. paddoboy Valued Senior Member

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    Actually qreeus old matey, they all have winkys at the end!!! Nice try anyhow

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    The above emoji is a belly laugh at your obvious stupidity qreeus.
     
  10. Q-reeus Banned Valued Senior Member

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    No that's your nice try. The emoji's obviously refer to the last bit in each proclamation e.g. '...so far I'm doing OK.' Just your way of softening that crazy expectation with faint humor. I fingered you way back as being a true believer disciple of Ray Kurzweil. Who probably still takes hundreds of life extension supps every day in the vain hope of warding off death till 'the singularity' arrives in time to save his mortal soul. Salvation unto eternal life for atheists. Hahaha.

    PS: Another one of those mysterious no email alert situations for yours truly. Upstairs assistance for someone - again.
     
  11. paddoboy Valued Senior Member

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    Jesus Christ!!

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    Whatever tickles your fancy my delusional paranoid friend.

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    No, don't know the bloke actually, and never have taken supplements of any kind....have the occasional Big Mac, KFC, and a principle of mostly anything in moderation.....
     
  12. Q-reeus Banned Valued Senior Member

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    4,695
    Your many proclamations of 'I aim to live forever' and variations is there for all to read:
    http://www.sciforums.com/search/40579708/?q=live forever&o=date&c[user][0]=270793
    If as you try and claim now you never meant any of those clear statements in any of those many posts, one has to conclude a serious mental heaslth issue afflicts you.

    PS - email alerts to me re this thread still being blocked by someone. Gee I wonder who?
     
  13. paddoboy Valued Senior Member

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    And the childish paranoia continues.
     
  14. Jeeves Valued Senior Member

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    1. How do you know?
    2. Has there been any with death?
    3. If so, has it happened because of death?
     
  15. Q-reeus Banned Valued Senior Member

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    4,695
    Something I missed in #23. And it is even possible to appeal? Not worth the demeaning effort even if it were possible. An obsequiously PC/Marxist rathole. But since you dredged that up.....
    How about telling us what happened to you over at SFN. A compulsive serial poster there, until, well, here's the record in date descending order:
    https://www.scienceforums.net/profile/74220-beecee/
    Last post there Sept 15, 2019.
    Who did you manage to piss off so badly that you are de facto banned there? Hence you returned here to plague us yet again.
     
  16. paddoboy Valued Senior Member

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    27,543
    Not at all matey. Perhaps if you were observant enough, you would have noticed my absence on this forum also for `10 weeks or so.Perhaps your usual paranoia in your scrutiny of me among your other well known paranoia and ID nonsense was faulty? I was off grid in Fiji.
    I just havn't decided to go back as yet,,,it's more fun here.
     
  17. pluto2 Banned Valued Senior Member

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    Scientists don't even have a complete picture about how our body works so figuring out how to live forever based on very incomplete knowledge about how our bodies really work is very delusional my friend.
     
  18. Hercules Rockefeller Beatings will continue until morale improves. Moderator

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    It should be remembered that a complete understanding of a phenomenon is not required to accurately predict it. The ancient astronomers were able to reasonably accurately predict stellar and planetary movements without any understanding of modern astrophysics. In the biomedical space, it has been commonplace over the years to use drugs for which there is an incomplete (or sometimes complete) lack of understanding of its mechanism of action. Paracetamol (acetaminophen) springs to mind as an example. It’s an extremely widely used analgesic; one of the worldwide go-to drugs for mild pain. Yet, there is not a clear understanding of its mechanism of action.

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    Of course, at times this strategy can come back to bite us hard, eg. thalidomide when used to treat morning sickness.

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    My rambling take-home point is that a complete understanding of the human body does not prevent progress in extending lifespan.

    I used to read up on this topic as a sort of hobby, but that was over a decade ago. I’m sure knowledge has progressed since then. My recollection* is that combined diet, lifestyle and pharmacological approaches in humans, if perfected, are only theoretically expected to increase lifespan by a few decades at most. In order to go further we need to employ genetic modification. There have been experiments in invertebrate model organisms that have produced dramatic extensions of lifespan (>6x or 7x) by modifying only a few key genes. However, this is not expected to work in humans because there is an integral link between these genes and the immune system and insulin-mediated metabolism (eg. daf-2). Flies and worms don’t have the same sort of immune and metabolic systems as mammals; tinkering with these genes in mammals produces immune system dysfunction that counteracts lifespan increase. And, of course, these were germline modifications – easy to do in model organisms, not so much in humans.

    Interestingly, targeting telomerase/telomeres might be a way around that problem. Just recently there was some research in mice that produced a 24% lifespan by creating mice from cultured stem cells with naturally long telomeres. Thus, this was achieved without any genetic modification. Fascinating!

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    https://www.sciencealert.com/resear...xtended-chromosomes-inside-all-of-their-cells


    * No guarantees of accuracy.
     
  19. billvon Valued Senior Member

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    I don't think so. Is it delusional to think that we can prevent smallpox, polio and diptheria given that we have a very incomplete knowledge about how our bodies really work? Is it delusional to think that we can cure appendicitis given that we have a very incomplete knowledge about how our bodies really work? Is it delusional to think that we can usually cure thyroid cancer and melanoma given that we have a very incomplete knowledge about how our bodies really work? Nope.

    We have a long way to go before we figure out how to defeat death, even in some people. But keep in mind that just 200 years ago, average life expectancy in the US was about 38 years.
     
  20. Q-reeus Banned Valued Senior Member

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    https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/life-expectancy
    Last para under 'Longevity in Specific Populations' reads:

    "A common misconception in comparing today's life expectancy to that of earlier times, such as the 1900s, is the belief that individuals can expect to live 25–30 years longer. However, if we look at the life expectancy of elderly people, the picture is quite different; e.g., 60-year-old white males lived 6.6 years longer in 2004 vs 1900, and 80-year-olds lived 3 years longer."

    The uncategorized aggregate statistical gains over a century or so are overwhelmingly the result of better sanitation, followed by vaccine and drug control of infectious diseases. Infant and childhood mortality was easily the biggest distortion to the stats that give apparently large gains in adult lifespans.

    Intrinsic lifespans have not improved appreciably at all. Which is not to argue against that some combinatiuon of 'breakthrough' discoveries may boost intrinsic lifespans by a decade or two. Expecting to say double today's intrinsic human lifespan looks extremely doubtful.
     
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  21. billvon Valued Senior Member

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    Right. The vast majority in lifespan improvements came because infant and child mortality has been greatly reduced. And it's a given that the closer you get to the end of life, the less expansion you will see (for obvious reasons.)
     
  22. geordief Valued Senior Member

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    Would any civilization be able to say no to technology that prolongs its lifespan (regardless of the pros and cons)?

    If the answer is no ,does that imply that there may be civilizations that have succeeded in making themselves quasi immortal?

    If so ,they might have zero interest in communicating with us.
     
  23. pluto2 Banned Valued Senior Member

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    I think we need better scientists because right now scientists have no idea about the human body truly works.

    Scientists presume that everything is the human body is just controlled by genetics but I think there's much more to it.

    Like I said, I think we need smarter or more-capable scientists.
     

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