Will Science Unlock Immortality Before We Die? - Page 6

On March 31 2013 21:09 cilinder007 wrote:
Dying isn't fair, are you joking, its the single most fair thing that can happen to a living thing.
Everybody, everything dies, no exceptions

On March 31 2013 13:58 Aelfric wrote:
No, even if they do i don't think they will let public know about it.

On March 31 2013 21:16 Vivax wrote:
Should fix monetary system first to work towards collective improvement and not personal enrichment first, props to those trying to invent a method for society to work in such a way and push it through.
Else any new technology developed will be used for the latter anyway, and if that's the case your average, non-forbes butt won't be the one seeing it.

Aside from this little rant against capitalism: The mechanism of aging hasn't even been figured out completely, as hasn't sleep. It's speculated that with the shortening of telomeres over aging, the replicative functions of cells go lost (but there are enzymes able to extend them afaik). These are sequences of non-transcripted DNA with some essential role in the process, cba to look it up atm.

Even if you manage to extend telomeres and it works, you won't be able to beat the problem of somatic mutations that lead to cancer (of which the cells are apparently immortal).
Additionally, your memory and consciousness rely on synaptic connections, which are "branches" of neurons. Even if you manage to replace your old neurons with newer ones, I doubt you would be able to "export" your synaptic connections, which makes the whole condition of keeping your old consciousness impossible. When you lose your former self it's the same as dying, I'd say.

tl dr: "Brain in machine" type of stuff (Mr. House) might become immortal (rather not), other stuff likely not.

On March 31 2013 21:16 Vivax wrote:
Even if you manage to extend telomeres and it works, you won't be able to beat the problem of somatic mutations that lead to cancer (of which the cells are apparently immortal).

On March 31 2013 21:53 Prugelhugel wrote:
Immortality? Never ever possible.
Long lifes? Yes.
Medicin is progressing very fast, and if it isn't the case that mobile phone waves damaged the whole planets cells and made humans incapable of reproducing

On March 31 2013 21:27 mprs wrote:


Who is they?

On April 01 2013 03:12 cozenage wrote:
It takes an incredible amount of self denial to even want to live forever. How could any thinking person want that? It isn't thinking people who want that, it is feeling people, people who are terrified of our inevitable end.

Imagine life as a balance, on one side all the good things, joy, pleasure, and on the other side everything terrible in life, pain, anguish, suffering... If you do an honest assessment, it is undeniable that life is more suffering than pleasure. The moments of pleasure are short, shallow. Enjoying a meal, having an orgasm, whatever. Have you ever broken a bone, or had a terrible flu? The pain is immensly more powerful and terrible than any joy you can experience unless you take up heroin or something. Would you trade an orgasm for the flu? Hell no. Then you have disease, crime, natural disasters, loss, depression, whatever. The whole pursuit of life so far has been to try and escape the billion ways that the universe can harm or kill us.

Then consider the sheer amount of time that is dedicated to things you don't want to do. Working for hours day after day, for decades, just so you can have some time left at the end of the day or the weekend to try and make up for all the time you spent working, but it is never equal in balance. You will always do more undesirable work than you can justify with the rewards or time off.

The truth is undeniable: Life is more work and more suffering than good. It is only your fear which keeps you clinging so dearly to your own suffering. This suffering is all you could possibly know, like how a child might love a horrible, abusive parent.

On April 01 2013 03:12 cozenage wrote:
It takes an incredible amount of self denial to even want to live forever. How could any thinking person want that? It isn't thinking people who want that, it is feeling people, people who are terrified of our inevitable end.

Imagine life as a balance, on one side all the good things, joy, pleasure, and on the other side everything terrible in life, pain, anguish, suffering... If you do an honest assessment, it is undeniable that life is more suffering than pleasure. The moments of pleasure are short, shallow. Enjoying a meal, having an orgasm, whatever. Have you ever broken a bone, or had a terrible flu? The pain is immensly more powerful and terrible than any joy you can experience unless you take up heroin or something. Would you trade an orgasm for the flu? Hell no. Then you have disease, crime, natural disasters, loss, depression, whatever. The whole pursuit of life so far has been to try and escape the billion ways that the universe can harm or kill us.

Then consider the sheer amount of time that is dedicated to things you don't want to do. Working for hours day after day, for decades, just so you can have some time left at the end of the day or the weekend to try and make up for all the time you spent working, but it is never equal in balance. You will always do more undesirable work than you can justify with the rewards or time off.

The truth is undeniable: Life is more work and more suffering than good. It is only your fear which keeps you clinging so dearly to your own suffering. This suffering is all you could possibly know, like how a child might love a horrible, abusive parent.