The *Last* Thing We Need
Comments: 4
Humans are doing a pretty damned good job of sucking the life out of the planet as it is. Imagine what it would be like if our life spans doubled. Unfortunately, this is a subject that’s interesting some biologists.
Gene tweaking safely doubles lifespan
Nicola Dixon, New ScientistA US team has doubled the lifespan of the nematode worm with no apparent physiological side affects. The key to what appears to be uncompromised longevity is to silence a gene involved in ageing at just the right point in a worm’s life cycle.
I guess there could be perfectly valid applications of this – I’m just hard pressed to think of what they could be. Bring on the apocalypse, and don’t spare the horsemen!
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Posted to General Rants • 2002.10.25 (Fri) • 20:46
Comments
Posted by Winter 2002.10.25, 23:34
So perhaps it would be better if we instead cut our lifespans in half? in quarter?
Posted by jh 2002.10.25, 23:58
That would certainly solve some problems.
Seriously, though, I want people to live long, happy and productive lives. Not unnaturally long lives, but the full stretch of time that the gods, circumstances, and collisions of dust aeons ago have granted us. I can’t support the idea of prolonging life for the sake of prolonging life. Take your turn on the wheel and get off as gracefully as you can. Let someone else have a turn.
One thing that seems indisputable is that we live beyond our means. The ‘first world’ anyway (and I’m sure everybody else would love to). This can’t go on.
An argument could be made that if we were to prolong the life of someone like, say, Stephen Hawking, then we might get some important answers to some really big questions. But then we’re talking about eugenics by another name.
Posted by Adam Rice 2002.10.26, 05:47
I dunno. I’m not going to have any kids, so it’s not like I need to make room for them. And I’d like to live a good, long time.
I’ve read estimates that the human population will level out in 2050. Eventually the population could go into slow decline (as it already has in Japan and parts of Europe). At that point, greater longevity could be a positive boon.
Posted by Anonymous 2002.10.31, 15:56
“Seriously, though, I want people to live long, happy and productive lives. Not unnaturally long lives…”
Our “natural” lifespan has been dictated by evolution, and has worked well up to this point. However, thanks to modern technology, the world is changing much faster than evolution through random genetic mutations and breeding can handle. We have reached the point where human technologies can far outpace evolution, and we are beginning to understand how to apply these advances directly to our genetic structure. The point is, just because something is “natural” does not mean it is wrong to try to break through that barrier.
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