Experts say humans can live to 1000.. would you want to?

reply to post by jakyll


No, not according to geneticists. I watched a program on this on Discovery with Michio Kaku and other scientists and geneticists. I think the series was called "Time", but I'm not positive that was the one. They said that there is no blueprint in our DNA that tells cells to start decaying at a certain age. For a reason not yet known, they start decaying once full maturity is reached, around the age of 18.

But maybe they are wrong. Maybe there is a certain enzyme produced or a certain gene that ticks off cell decay. I would be willing to bet, however, if this were true, that that gene would be vital to another part of life, and turning it off would cause horrible mutation or would not allow life to start in the first place.

As for the question, would I want to live for 1000 years?

Yes, provided my sanity is in tact.

Physical issues can be overcome with augmentations, I've always viewed the body as a mere machine to be controlled by the mind... the mind itself is the real issue.

I've often said,
" I don't mind dying a cripple, sick, or fray man... but please put a bullet in me if I leave reality. "

Going insane is my only real fear. I have no issue with death... death isn't an 'if', it's a 'when'... so technically, we're already dead, we just haven't found out how yet.

But going insane is most certainly an 'if'.
A scenario I don't intend on living through.


So if I could live for 1000 years and maintain my grasp on reality... heck yes, I'd live for 1000 years!
But I suppose I'd end up devoting more than half of it to improving the world around me... once my investments are secure to ensure my own survival.


If by some genetic twist this meant I couldn't have offspring as some have hinted at... then that's acceptable to me. To assume my own genes need to be carried on more than others would be self centered.

It's what you DO with your life that matters... not how many spawns you create.

[edit on 12-11-2008 by johnsky]

That's a tough one.. I would like to live 1000 years just to see what we accomplish and what changes between now and then. But then again with the way our world is right now, I'm not so sure I do want to see what happens over the next 1000 years.

Now if they figure out the time-travel thing so I can just jump forward 1000 years and see what all has happened, I'm in. But living 1000 years, I think I would have to pass.

Originally posted by johnsky

If by some genetic twist this meant I couldn't have offspring as some have hinted at... then that's acceptable to me. To assume my own genes need to be carried on more than others would be self centered.

It's what you DO with your life that matters... not how many spawns you create.

[edit on 12-11-2008 by johnsky]

I don't think of having children and passing along our genetics and/or positive biological mutations, in addition to a myriad of other things, as having "spawns". That makes it sound like the idea of reproducing is pointless and downright negative. Mind you, I'm not advocating overpopulation or having children when one isn't able to properly care for them, but you have to admit that every single living thing on earth has one innate need... the need to reproduce and pass along genetic information.

Nearly every single thing that we do as humans is geared towards having children and raising them to be good humans (well, most of us strive for the "good" part), and generally carrying on the legacy of being alive and adapting. Without that biological goal I don't think anything that is alive would stay alive for very long. Not just humans, but any species. From bacteria to plants and yes, humans as well. Thinking deep thoughts is good and all... but at the end of the day biology will have a very definite say in what we strive for in life.

Originally posted by pjslug
reply to post by jakyll

 

No, not according to geneticists. I watched a program on this on Discovery with Michio Kaku and other scientists and geneticists. I think the series was called "Time", but I'm not positive that was the one. They said that there is no blueprint in our DNA that tells cells to start decaying at a certain age. For a reason not yet known, they start decaying once full maturity is reached, around the age of 18.

But maybe they are wrong. Maybe there is a certain enzyme produced or a certain gene that ticks off cell decay. I would be willing to bet, however, if this were true, that that gene would be vital to another part of life, and turning it off would cause horrible mutation or would not allow life to start in the first place.

and there is a lot more scientific discoveries to be made I am sure

here is the ones about the mitochondria

www.cbsnews.com...

I'll say this excites me in a very deep way, it's hard to explain.

Secondly. How, having already been conceived myself, how does one alter our DNA body wide to do this stuff? I would have thought that you'd have to make or institute the changes at the beginning of life.

Originally posted by mybigunit
Wasnt there a guy who is said to be 1000 years old. I cant think of his name off hand or even if he is still alive I just know I have seen threads on here about him.

I'd like to know more about this.

[edit on 11/13/2008 by Good Wolf]

reply to post by Kailassa


Hmm, the loss of the ability to produce vitamin c, eh.

Well I for one think that this is a product of evolution. Shorter life spans means shorter generations, speeding up the process of evolution.

[edit on 11/13/2008 by Good Wolf]

I honestly believe there is a grain of truth to the Bible and that our life expectancy is SUPPOSED to be close to that long.

Like we are at some sort of test here, where if we pass we can reclaim that status now.

Because at 38, I honestly feel like I am, an adolescent in terms of my thought process and somehow stress and fight or flight and being FORCED to "Grow Up" is the main reason we age

My first thoughts on the subject came when i was just a child and played D &D and read Tolkien, The Elves, had... such long childhoods from 30's -70's

and that made sense, there is Soooooo much to learn, our life spans are ridiculously, abnormally short.

Love that has to fade, such a short span with your children, such commitments for life made in ...the blink iof an eye rather than from a place of knowing a person...

It never has felt right

Particularly as we enter the communication age and knowledge doubles as often as it does.

School, learning should be at least 40-50 years, just to be a person who can function...

it's wrong the way this is, there is truth to the Bible, somewhere in our history we knew, we were supposed to live allot longer and suffer allot less

something happened, something changed

The flood is the reference

and maybe that theory that there was a water layer, another shield from the sun above us was true and for some reason that water fell and th exposure shortened our life spans...

I don't know, it does make sense to a degree...

but something changed for sure, I think we are entitled to 1,000 years

I expect nothing less, that's why I am a survivalist... because the knowledge is there.

Live through these times, expect that 1,000 years

Originally posted by SLAYER69


or do we age normally until we hit 80 then live all old and feeble for another 700 years?

Ya I wonder this to...............the answer to THIS question would have a deciding factor on if I wanted to do this or not...........

Now.........if we could look 50 at 500 then I would want in.......

its a flaw part of our dna that leads to aging

ill pass it over to proudf00t to explain it he is smarter then me

Google Video Link

skip past hovinds crazyness to 3:25

if we can slow down this genetic failing we could lengthen life

would i want to go all the way to a thousand ? i figure life would get a bit dull

but everything over 120 makes god wrong so 150 so i have 30 years of pointing and laughing at fundamentalists would be fun ... though i would probabily be burned at the stake for bieng ungodly and living longer then he said i could

*still havnt bothered learning how to embed video some one u2u me the how to please ^_^*

[edit on 13/11/08 by noobfun]

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[edit on 13/11/08 by noobfun] ill play with it later lol i think i broke it

[edit on 13/11/08 by noobfun]

reply to post by theRiverGoddess


Think about it.

Right now the longest recorded life was just over 120. Now we're saying that the younger generation will live to 1000. That's a hell of an age curve.

Considering the tech advancement required it's unreasonable to think that if aging can be stopped it can't be reversed.

If your 80 when you life is extended, you should just wait a while and you will be rejuvenated.

reply to post by noobfun


It's pretty easy. hit the youtube button and you get this (without the *'s):

*[*yvid*]*youtube code*[*/yvid*]*

this is the url to the vid, without the *

*http://*nz.youtube.*com/watch?v=YKdfeP1sGIg

In the "youtube code" spot you paste the bit after the "=" in the url, so it looks like this

*[*yvid*]*YKdfeP1sGIg*[*/yvid*]*

which comes out as

reply to post by sabrinaleena


Oh, don't get me wrong, I understand those who wish to procreate.

I used to have the same values my friend...
only, over time I was face to face with the sheer numbers for a little too long I guess.

I grew up understanding that there are already far too many humans on this earth, and if I'm going to have a chance of making a positive impact on the world, I'm going to have to do it without the hopes of having children myself.

I suppose one could say I've broken away from the natural desire to procreate.
... then again, some would simply say I'm broken.

Either way you look at it, I've lost the desire to procreate. My ultimate goal in life now is to do something grand with the life I have, and leave something for the history books.

Pro-creating to me has simply become... needless.


As I said though, I used to be... normal. I desired to have a family one day... to raise my children and see that they have a better life than my own.

But after being face to face with the numbers we're dealing with... something changed.
Everything changed.
My priorities have been completely re-organized. Now it's about what I can leave for everyone elses children... without having my own.

Sorry if I can't explain myself better. I have trouble understanding it myself... it's almost like I feel as if I have to burn myself out completely, so that I can provide future generations with what they need.

Some form of a twisted self sacrifice I suppose.

Yes

Or maybe just 500.

Look if I lived this long, I would see technology and medical advancements that would allow me to maintain a youthful body the entire expanse of this time. If I lived this long I would no doubt have practical, accessible means to travel to other planets, and learn and experience new things we have never even imagined...

Okay. Maybe 1500.



[edit on 13-11-2008 by Lucid Lunacy]

Yes,this would be great,they have already made fruit flies live for 5 or 6 times their natural life span,problem is,DNA has a habit of correcting itself as they found with fruit flies.

reply to post by Dermo


Not exactly sure if I want to live for ever or not, maybe just long enough to see us venture into the stars and make them our new homes. That of course will bring a new plethora of problems for humanity, but hey, be kinda cool to live on a distant planet at like 450 years old and still look 20 something...

[edit on 13-11-2008 by spikey]

reply to post by spikey


Sorry, got the format wrong above...

I retract my original statement, and add:

-"I don't see how this is possible, nor do I see how it's benefits would outweigh it's negatives."

Are you kidding?
So, you prefer the alternative to life do you? Worms eating away the flesh off your bones, rotting away in a putrid puddle of oozing fat and necrotic fluids? Or your body reduced to bone fragments and ash?

It always amazes me when people say they'd prefer death over extended life. It would get boring seems to be the primary reason given. WHAT??!!
Think of all the advances you would witness. Travel to distant star systems, colonise other worlds, journey to the centre of the galaxy. Live in an advanced (extremely) VR system a la red dwarf. Live multiple lifetimes as different people/sexes, even as different animals. Always wanted to be a bird and soar into the sky? No problem. etc etc.

How could you get bored, with the galaxy and beyond as your playground?

With extended lifespans would come population control in a big way initially, unless/until they 'release' or 'discover' new power and propulsion systems to enable us to colonise multiple other worlds, which will solve the population density problems, if everyone could live for say 500 - 1000 years.


-I don't want to live forever. We aren't meant to. Every accomplishment (material or otherwise) to have in life will diminish in value.

Again, this old chestnut ALWAYS crops up when talking about extended life spans. Do tell me why you imagine we are not meant to live longer?
If we use your arguement, then noone would be operated on following illness or accident. No-one would have pacemakers, replacement hips, laser eye surgery, spectacles. We could even argue, we are not 'meant' to wear clothing, since we don't grow clothing naturally.

Are we meant to travel in cars on bikes and in aircraft? From a biological point of view, then no - we're not, but we do.

So why would all of the things that we do, but are not naturally 'meant' to do, be any different to living longer? I don't get the point, and never have done.
Personally, i'd live for 10,000 years if i could, even if i was bored most of time. You see, boredom is tangible, it's real. Whereas death, non existence - well...isn't.

spikey.

I love to live for 1000 years even if my life sucks now as long as my loved ones live that long too.

Nothing beats the people you've first set your eyes on when you were born.

But if afterlife is real and better then there's no point to live at all, because this world sucks

[edit on 13-11-2008 by ahnggk]

Would I want to live for 1000 years...

Yes. I would want to live alot longer than 1000 years.

Imagine what one can accomplish in that span of time, and imagine what humanity could accomplish in that length of lifespan.

Cheers!!!!!