For the First Time, Researchers Find Longevity Gene That Helps Determine Lifespan - Polidicks

[QUOTE][URL="http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-02/science-uncovers-longevity-gene-determines-lifespan"][QUOTE][IMG]http://www.popsci.com/files/imagecache/article_image_large/articles/Telomere_image-prv.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE] Humanity's search for the secrets to immortality has inspired Ray Kurzweil's Singularity vision and DARPA's hunt for ageless synthetic beings. Now scientists have discovered a single gene that appears to control how quickly individuals will biologically age, The Telegraph reports. The discovery could not only encourage people to adopt healthier lifestyles earlier, but may eventually help people live longer if scientists can figure out how to manipulate the gene. Each person has a genetically-programmed lifespan that depends upon telomeres, or the ends of chromosomes that serve as protective caps for the main genetic material. Biological aging is determined by how quickly the telomeres shorten each time the genetic material is copied during cell division -- a process that parallels human aging. A newly-identified variant of the TERC gene seems to determine both the starting length of a person's telomeres and how quickly the telomeres shorten. The full findings appear in the journal Nature Genetics. The scientists have yet to try and manipulate the gene to possibly delay biological aging, but they suggest that people could get tested for the gene early on in life. People could then take appropriate steps to avoid proven "bad" influences on those precious telomeres, such as smoking, obesity and lack of exercise.[/URL][/QUOTE] Science, fuck yeah!

Personally, i don't want to live to be old. I want to live as much as possible before i'm too old to enjoy it, which means that i'll probably be too unhealthy to live past 50 anyways.

Personally, I'd want to live to be about in my 20's for the rest of my life. If they manipulate it to the point where we can somehow manipulate what age we can stay at, that'd be awesome. I wouldn't want to live to be past 50 for some odd reason. But maybe that's because that's the age when the body starts getting weaker.

The future of genetic manipulation is both exciting and horrifying at the same time.

Haha, fuck you dead people

I'm Amazed, no other word for it.

I want to live forever So people can forever hate me :(

yay for science!

[QUOTE=KevinRudd;20115501]I want to live forever So people can forever hate me :([/QUOTE] Go through with the internet filter and you'll be both dead and hated forever

[QUOTE=MisterMooth;20115508]Go through with the internet filter and you'll be both dead and hated forever[/QUOTE] what that's stephen conroy not me, he sucks cock i don't

I'm going to be the next yoda.

If this turns into some cheap drug and it gets to the third world countries we're fucked.

Funny how real life science seems to surpass science fiction more and more often as time goes on

i am gonna become a splicer

I don't want to out live my loved ones. :frown:

Well, gotta guess it's too late for us though, I doubt this could have any significant impact on our life expectancy, were we to use this after pre-puberty

[QUOTE=Ubercharged;20116470]I don't want to out live my loved ones. :frown:[/QUOTE] i want to gloriously outlive everybody i am the king of earth

[QUOTE=farmatyr;20115540]If this turns into some cheap drug and it gets to the third world countries we're fucked.[/QUOTE] Don't worry we have the cure and America loves them. If you haven't figure it out yet bullets you silly goof.

Looks like your time.... is limited

I'm not sure I see the appeal of living forever/for a long time. We're already struggling with overpopulation as it is, can you imagine how thin our resources would be stretched if everyone got to live to 300+?

[IMG]http://www.murrayewing.co.uk/mewsings/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/farnsworth.jpg[/IMG]

"How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world, That has such people in't!"

[QUOTE=Keeshond dog;20115343]Personally, i don't want to live to be old. I want to live as much as possible before i'm too old to enjoy it, which means that i'll probably be too unhealthy to live past 50 anyways.[/QUOTE] This doesn't only contain lifespan information, but aging information as well. I would agree with you if I kept aging for 350 years, but I think that by modifying this gene, we can stretch 80 years' worth of aging out to longer and longer times.

[QUOTE=MrBob1337;20116744]This doesn't only contain lifespan information, but aging information as well. I would agree with you if I kept aging for 350 years, but I think that by modifying this gene, we can stretch 80 years' worth of aging out to longer and longer times.[/QUOTE] I'd keep it as is until the 19 mark or so then stretch out the next ten years to about 100. Ideal world right there.

I get to visit mars and fuck aliens with mask to protect themselves from the cold! Yes!

Why do sites make "news" out of things that has been known for a while? This has been known for at least 5 years (since that's the earliest document I could find from it in a 30 second search.)

[QUOTE=Kendra;20117123]Why do sites make "news" out of things that has been known for a while? This has been known for at least 5 years (since that's the earliest document I could find from it in a 30 second search.)[/QUOTE] This hasn't been known for five years, yes they found out about the telomeres a while back but not the gene that controls how fast they erode.

Honestly, do we really want to live to 120, when we will be so frail we can hardly do anything ourselves?

I think i'd like telomere-extension therapy.

[QUOTE=sloppy_joes;20116695]"How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world, That has such people in't!"[/QUOTE] This does stink heavily of Brave New World, and you know what, I think most FPers would welcome a Brave New World style... World with open arms. [editline]09:15AM[/editline] Hell, the world does seem to be approaching Huxley's beliefs on a "dystopia" much better then 1984.