With the science fair looming nearby, my teacher has issued that everyone begins to do their research and what not for the projects they intend to do. As one would expect of a High School class, most of the students will do what it takes to get an A, but nothing more... but I want to do something different. I want to do something that will contribute to the scientific community, even if it is only in a minor way.

This brings me to the point of discussion for this topic: "Immortality" Hypothesis.

"What is this Blackhand? Did you find the Fountain of Youth?"

I would like to believe that I found a piece of the map that will lead to it, even if it is just a small tear. Basically, "Immortality" Hypothesis is an idea I came up with while thinking about what keeps the human body functioning, why we end up aging, and why it must be that we eventually die from this aging process.

I recall learning some time ago that aging was really what happened when certain cells in your body stopped being produced, or were produced at a lower rate. Nutrients also stop going around the way they should, most likely due to the lack of cells causing organ issues and all that jazz.

That is a very rough summary of it. My hypothesis is that if we were to find a way to artificially reproduce these cells that eventually die out, it would be a huge step toward expanding the lifespan of a human being by a very long time.

But what could possibly do this? What in the world could we use to engineer cells that wil replace the ones we depend on to live? When I asked myself this question, I narrowed down the answer to Stem Cells. I've heard tales of medical miracles done with stem cells, and believe that if they were to be researched in the way that I have suggested, we may well be on our way to the next medical leap in humanities tale.

That being said, my knowledge on this subject is not as strong as I would wish for it to be, and so I imagine there are likely a few holes in this hypothesis. I make this thread out of hope that we can have a scientific discussion regarding my idea, narrowing down what would and wouldn't work, and how this could be tested.

I ask that while we discuss this, let's steer away from a couple things: Where this idea stands on the moral scale, and how the end product would be distributed if this hypothesis were to lead toward something major. Those are discussions that can come later, assuming my hypothesis ever does go anywhere.

TLDR

I have made a hypothesis that through stem cell research, we could possibly expand the lifespan and youth of a human by a tremendous amount. I want to have a discussion with the scientific members of this forum to see what they think of it, and how such a thing could be tested.

Not related to Immortality, but holy crap, American schools actually have science fairs? I thought they only existed in TV shows.

Here is the Wiki page for this idea: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indefinite_lifespan

Here's an article on some of the people who are into this: http://nymag.com/print/?/nymag/features/23169/index6.html

This is a topic in the "Boing Boing" type community (the cyberpunk/alternative culture website, not women with big briasts). There is a sci-fi novel with this as the theme called "Holy Fire" by Bruce Sterling.

i think what you may be thinking of is Telemeres. their the part of DNA that is on the ends of the RNA or something like that.

Basicly the body is constantly replacing cells that have died, and each time a cell dies and has to be replaced the genetic information has to be copied so that it does not become inappropriate tissue (like cancer). The information for that copy comes from the telemere, however there is only so many telemeres at the end of our DNA/RNA (again can't remember which the Telemere is apart of) so eventually our cells stop having a genetic reference and slowly each generation deviate from the correct genetic code. hence why hair becomes white, skin becomes discolored and so forth.

Theoreticly if you were able to manufacture an individuals telemeres you could prolong their life, however something like that would equate to surgery on the DNA level.

I wouldn't necessarily rope in stem cells as the possible answer, as i don't think they can copy/replace genetic material as they theoretically do with other tissues.

i think research on the process of how sperm and egg cells take chromosomes and create new Genetic information would be a more productive path to follow.

Everyone's going to die at some point. People seeking to prolong life are cowards or the Gov trying to keep its workforce. Why extended life comes extended working life, screw that.
What would humanity actually achieve through immortality?
For what your saying, asking, whatever thebonly answer to achieving this is to effectively become a walking shell, a husk.

I don't want to die. The universe is so big, and there are so many questions to be answered, and many more to be asked... I don't want to lose the opportunity to participate in discovering these things. Fifty years of being physically able to participate in finding the answers is not enough time to do the amount of work I want to do in my life, and those last twenty years where my brain begins to die does not sound appealing either.

That being said, I was unaware that so much work had been done regarding the hypothesis already. Now I'm not sure if I should continue this as my Science Fair project, or move onto something else... ahh well. These links are definitely a good read!

Here is more reading from Boing Boing. There is a lot to this general topic, if you are interested in it you might be able to find something more specific within it.

http://boingboing.net/2006/11/13/life-extension-resea.html (follow the link at the bottom to read more)

This might provide some brainstorming material: http://www.ted.com/talks/tags

Someone has been reading too much George Orwell.

I think immortality is more viable by replacing organs as they give out rather than via stem cell research.

Or, just to save the time, clone up a complete copy of ourselves, brain transplant into it after it reaches 18, and then BAM! Immortality. Or, at least until we come up with something more long-term.

Yeah, because cloning a body and then waiting for 18 years saves a whole lot of time compared to having a heart transplanted with a mechanical ticker. /sarcasm

/tounge in cheek

or you do as the ancient civilizations did and just build giant monuments of your image in glory. hows that for a fair compromise?

Is that a threat? Because I've been drinking green tea all god damm day

I personaly couldn't bear the passing of time... the gradual death of everyone and everything you know and love... watching the world fall and rise and fall again endlessly. Not my cup of tea.

What if everyone was immortal?

Well, as a great man once said about the great JagarTharn..

"Although anything I have ever posted on these forums is a great quote and deserves to be sigged,"

So, with that logic in hand, how could I possibly threaten someone with such a high status/ love for Green Tea? It's a circular pattern of irregularity (or something to that degree).

Or maybe it isn't...

Well... we'd end up destroying earth through overpopulation, and the world would end up being a giant claustraphobic cluster [censored] of human corruption and filth. Again, not my cup of tea.

Well, with death no longer a part of the equation, I suppose we would probably band together for world peace, and then fast-forward our progress on Space-Travel a 100x fold. That way, we keep occupying more and more planets, and with the endless vastness of space, I assume it would be a while before we run out of room.

But that is in a perfect world. Where humans are logical.

I'd say if immortality was possible, then effective population control would also be possible (along lines of requiring permits to reproduce, aka, licence to [censored])

What it this "world peace" you speak of? Everybody coexisting in harmony and happiness? It's proposterous I tell you, where's the profit in world peace?

I'd chalk that up along the lines of gun control in United States, AKA basicaly impossible.

You're close, but slightly off track on telomeres. They are repetitive nonsense code at the end of DNA strands. Because of the limitations of DNA polymerase, the end of a strand is truncated during replication. Telomeres exist as a buffer so that the DNA can be replicated many times before meaningful code is lost. The eventual loss of useful genetic code is thought to contribute to aging, as you said.

I can't remember all the details, but the enzyme telomerase acts to extend telomeres, but is somehow limited in where and how it functions and is produced, preventing it from infinitely repairing the telomeres of your DNA.

Kind of like Immortality?

You got me there word smith.

I don't read books and I have no idea who he is.

If anyone here unlocked the key to immortality would you share such knowledge with the world?