
Ageing is not an inevitable fact of life - d_a_robson
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150915-the-secrets-of-living-to-200-years-old
======
mandelken
Funny they don't mention the hydra, an amazing little creature, almost(?)
immortal: [http://www.wired.com/2015/02/absurd-creature-of-the-week-
hyd...](http://www.wired.com/2015/02/absurd-creature-of-the-week-hydra/)

~~~
s_dev
Lobsters and some jellyfish are functionally immortal as well.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turritopsis_dohrnii](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turritopsis_dohrnii)

~~~
fsloth
Smithsonian magazine disagrees on the immortality of lobsters:

[http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/dont-listen-
to-...](http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/dont-listen-to-the-buzz-
lobsters-arent-actually-immortal-88450872/?no-ist)

Although, since they will eventually die of energy depletion from growing too
large, if they actually stopped growing they might go on ... a lot longer?

~~~
creshal
> Although, since they will eventually die of energy depletion from growing
> too large, if they actually stopped growing they might go on ... a lot
> longer?

If humans stopped ageing they'd go on a lot longer, too. But as long as they
can't it's a hypothetical scenario in both cases.

~~~
kaffeemitsahne
Maybe it's because I'm not a lobster, but halting growth to keep energy
requirements low seems like an easier problem.

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melling
The BBC has a few interesting articles on aging. Here's another:

[http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140520-the-girls-who-
never...](http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140520-the-girls-who-never-age)

If you read these articles, you're left wondering if there's some existing
genetic solution waiting to be found that'll add a healthy 50 years to our
lives.

~~~
wobbleblob
If I could only live to be 80, but as healthy as I am now, I'd sign for it

~~~
mikekchar
Exercise. It's not "as healthy as I am now", but it makes a big difference.
Anecdotal evidence, but my 73 year old father still rides his bike over
mountains (and shot his best ever golf score last month). He _does_ complain
that he wishes he had the body of a 60 year old ;-) My wife's uncle has to be
pushing 90 and still runs 2 km every day. If you just keep going, it's amazing
what you can accomplish even in the later stages of life.

Obviously this is survivor bias, but if you look after yourself and have a bit
of luck, there's no reason you can't be healthy enough to enjoy life well past
80.

~~~
wobbleblob
I do a minimum of 5-10 hours a week of aerobic exercise (mostly cycling), to
make time for more, I'd either have to quit my job or board the kids
somewhere.

I also have some anecdotal evidence. My father was always an avid cyclist as
well, until his hip joint wore out. He had to give it up, and in the space of
a year turned into an old man. I'm sorry, unless something else kills you in
your prime, it will happen to all of us sooner or later.

------
BoppreH
Just three days ago The New York Times published a piece about immortality
through cryonics: [http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/13/us/cancer-immortality-
cryo...](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/13/us/cancer-immortality-
cryogenics.html)

Now BBC publishes an anti-aging piece. They feel like "submarines",
paid/encouraged pieces to promote a certain point of view.

Yudkowsky, is that you? I'm all for it and I'm glad someone is doing this, but
curiosity is killing me.

~~~
meeper16
Try Google/Calico Labs, Genentech, Aubrey de Grey, Peter Thiel/SENS.org, Craig
Venter/Human longevity, GenoPharmix, The Buck Institute, Berkeley Labs,
Cynthia Kenyon, Brin, Page, Jack Ma, AOL 2.0.zuckerberg and the list goes
on... this is real and it's happening.

“What controls aging? Biochemist Cynthia Kenyon has found a simple genetic
mutation that can double the lifespan of a simple worm, C. elegans. The
lessons from that discovery, and others, are pointing to how we might one day
significantly extend youthful human life.” —
[http://www.ted.com/talks/cynthia_kenyon_experiments_that_hin...](http://www.ted.com/talks/cynthia_kenyon_experiments_that_hint_of_longer_lives)

“Google Launches New Company, Calico, to Extend the Human Life Span” -
[http://goo.gl/2LgUKd](http://goo.gl/2LgUKd) “The Race To Extend The Human
Lifespan Is Heating Up: Google & Craig Venter Leading the Pack" \-
[http://goo.gl/xrHWgv](http://goo.gl/xrHWgv)

“For too many of our friends and family, life has been cut short or the
quality of their life is too often lacking. Arthur Levinson is one of the
crazy ones who thinks it doesn’t have to be this way. There is no one better
suited to lead this mission and I am excited to see the results.” - Apple CEO
Tim Cook

“Ten years ago, we thought aging was probably the result of a slow decay, a
sort of rusting. But Professor Kenyon has shown that it’s ... controlled by
genes. That opens the possibility of slowing it down with drugs.” — Jeff
Holly, Bristol University

Also see, "The Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences honors transformative
advances toward understanding living systems and extending human life. The
prize was founded in 2013 by Sergey Brin and Anne Wojcicki, Mark Zuckerberg
and Priscilla Chan, Yuri and Julia Milner, and Jack Ma and Cathy Zhang."
[https://breakthroughprize.org/Prize/2](https://breakthroughprize.org/Prize/2)

Real space travel is not solved until aging and extending human life for a bit
is solved. This is why I admire companies and individuals in this area over
any other area. It's simply the most innovative accomplishment that can be
done in the history of humankind and with the largest rewards.

------
astazangasta
This is wrong. Whales live longer because they are bigger. Larger animals have
slower metabolisms and consequently longer lifespans. See this paper:
[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15855403](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15855403)

~~~
DennisP
But the article also mentions the naked mole rat, which is about the size of a
mouse but lives ten times longer, and Brandt's bat, which weighs as much as a
sugar cube but lives 40 years.

~~~
astazangasta
Not sure about the mole rat, but bats cheat by shutting down their metabolism
(basically hibernating) most of the time.

~~~
kolev
Why do people try to boost their metabolism (or demise) these days then? I
strongly believe that being physically lazy (i.e. not expending much energy
and keeping metabolism slow), but mentally active, and walking 30-45 minutes a
day is the healthiest lifestyle one could have (if they can afford it).

~~~
astazangasta
Because heart disease is the main killer, and obesity and poor vascular
fitness resulting from inactivity are major risk factors. Plus people want a
tight ass.

~~~
kolev
I don't exercise and I'm fine although genetically I have 30% higher risk of
obesity, so, just don't eat more than you have to and find pleasures in
creation and discovery, in socializing, not in eating!

------
scotch_drinker
"They live a lot longer than human beings, yet they are living in the wild,
without going to the doctor or any of the perks of human society.."

Followed by:

"By studying these whales and other extraordinarily long-lived creatures, de
Magalhaes and colleagues hope we can find new medicines that will similarly
slow down the human body’s decay and delay death."

Has to be one of the most ironic things I've seen lately and that's saying
something. We are studying organisms that live long lives without medical
intervention in hopes of creating medical interventions to keep humans alive
longer. Take more pills, go to the doctor more, pay more money for "health".
At some point, surely we will begin to question what it means to be alive. I'd
love to live longer but not at the expense of quality of life and taking pills
for the rest of my life is lower quality in my view.

~~~
Mz
Maybe human understanding will evolve and we will start studying these things
in order to better understand the lifestyle that gets them this result rather
than how to make a pill to replicate some piece of the chemistry.

Great comment. Thank you for making it.

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skarap
Not only it is an inevitable fact of life, it (and death) is the single most
important attribute of life. Especially in the case of humans aging and death
limit the amount of damage one single person can do.

I'm not saying it's absolutely impossible to change. Just that it shouldn't.

~~~
slfnflctd
I'm not saying you're wrong, but I completely disagree with you.

I would argue that the primary reasons people fail to better fulfill their
potential are lack of time, poor health and grief or hopelessness in the face
of death. I also strongly believe that the epidemic of disastrous short-term
thinking among us (particularly our 'leaders') is directly linked to the fact
that each of us knows we're going to die all too soon.

I could meet you halfway and say that in our current form, we may not be
ideally suited for significantly longer lifespans-- but we can change
ourselves with drugs, technology and genetic engineering, so it would be a
temporary problem.

The only paradise I believe is possible is one we create, and we cannot do it
with this pathetically paltry handful of decades we're allotted.

~~~
01Michael10
Sorry but no...

We have 7 billion people on this planet already and the last thing we need is
for them to be living longer.

You can't fulfill your potential in 75 years? Why would that change if you had
150 years? Hopelessness in the face of death? I am 46 and that is not even in
my thought process yet...

We don't need drugs, technology and genetic engineering to live longer. We
need less poverty (better/fairer distribution of wealth), less disease, and
less war for a better quality of life.

Who wants to be here in 100 years anyway? I don't want to live in a world of
20 billion people with little resources on a barley habitable world.

~~~
saiya-jin
these movements are not about everybody living much longer, only selected
wealthy elite. otherwise, this cash would be dedicated to matters you mention
(and I fully agree with what you write).

Just look at people beyond 80 - most of them are a mere shadow of their former
self in all aspects. Living till 120 just for the sake of living sounds more
like a nightmare - that tells me they are terrified of death, meaning all are
godless in their heart no matter how often they practice their religion. I
welcome it (hopefully at proper age) - I will make room for another
generation, just like the previous one did for me. I have my time here, and
that's enough.

~~~
orangecat
_these movements are not about everybody living much longer, only selected
wealthy elite_

Just like cell phones cost thousands of dollars and will only ever be toys for
the rich.

 _Just look at people beyond 80 - most of them are a mere shadow of their
former self in all aspects._

That's exactly what we're saying: aging is awful, and we should fix it.

 _I have my time here, and that 's enough._

And that's why you'll refuse all medical treatment after you turn 60, right?
(The expected lifespan for 20 year old people in 1850, before our godless and
unnatural medicine started working:
[http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0005140.html](http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0005140.html))

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sanxiyn
Re: the title. _What_ are inevitable facts of life?

~~~
eli_gottlieb
Well, there's the laws of physics, and the Second Law of Thermodynamics
pushing the arrow of time forwards. Beyond that, not much is _actually_
inevitable: people just prefer to rationalize anything awful as Inevitable
because this gives them a comforting sense of metaphysics.

~~~
azatris
2nd law of thermodynamics only applies on macroscopic scale. So not really
inevitable.

Plus, the laws of physics are based on a set of axioms, which don't
necessarily have to be true.

~~~
eli_gottlieb
>Plus, the laws of physics are based on a set of axioms,

Well no. They're based on empirical observations.

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x5n1
death and taxes next on list of problems to be tackled by scientists.

