8-Year-Old Never Ages, Could Reveal 'Biological Immortality' - Polidicks

[QUOTE=Keys;41888037]While simply fascinating and unfortunate, you are definitely [i]sensationalist[/i] in declaring the possibility to reveal the secret to "Biological Immortality". These unfortunate souls are simply aging normally (internally, age-wise), though their physical their growth has been inhibited. It hasn't extended their life, it is very likely that they will pass away within 50 years of their life. The oldest mentioned, at 40 years, likely has been very lucky or is nearing the limit of their physical life. The stresses on the body from such a 'deformity' must be immense. The key in discovering immortality is the body's ability to repair damage. As we grow older our DNA begins to break down (due to pretty much everything we do; breathing, sun exposure, toxic materials, and even via cellular mitosis). and loses its' efficiency. As a result our bodies decay and eventually fail. So if you can figure out a way to protect and repair something as complex and unique as a person's DNA, you're set for life.[/QUOTE] I can't stress this enough. Shame on you op.

[img]http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/images/reviews/1/1116804333.jpg[/img]

If we can find the right gene, I would save up for the gene therapy if it meant I could stop, or at least slow down, the march of decay that comes with age. I don't care if life starts to suck when I reach triple-figures, I am not fucking dying; anything's better than oblivion.

But surely her organs and such are aging and she will still die the same age as any of us, the difference being she will have not developed. I guess it would be nice to look the same for the rest of your life once you hit your prime, even if you're not immortal.

I wouldn't. We as a species are not ready for immortality. Sure the first hundred years might be interesting but by the second century you'd be so jaded to the events that you just wouldn't care any more.

[QUOTE=lintz;41890922]I wouldn't. We as a species are not ready for immortality. Sure the first hundred years might be interesting but by the second century you'd be so jaded to the events that you just wouldn't care any more.[/QUOTE] I know, right? I'm only 22, and I already think that euthanasia should be mandatory. Just in general. Euthanize you, euthanize me, euthanize all our cousins and friends. Beats hanging out in [I]this[/I] dump.

[QUOTE=SpartanXC9;41888097]More of a reason to leave Earth.[/QUOTE] Would be too slow to happen while population skyrockets, moving enough people to ease the strain on our planet would cost hundreds of trillions of dollars, if not more.

[QUOTE=shian;41887940][url]http://gma.yahoo.com/8-old-11-pounds-never-ages-040317717--abc-news-health.html[/url] Soon we all could be like Edward Cullen![/QUOTE] Oh god that music on the background makes me think of inception

[QUOTE=ironman17;41890878]If we can find the right gene, I would save up for the gene therapy if it meant I could stop, or at least slow down, the march of decay that comes with age. I don't care if life starts to suck when I reach triple-figures, I am not fucking dying; anything's better than oblivion.[/QUOTE] I seriously doubt your average person will have it anytime soon, most of us will probably be dead until it becomes standard practice, if it can even be done. Better cryogenically freeze yourself instead :v:

How is babby still babby but not babby?

Andy Milonakis

[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;41890958]I know, right? I'm only 22, and I already think that euthanasia should be mandatory. Just in general. Euthanize you, euthanize me, euthanize all our cousins and friends. Beats hanging out in [I]this[/I] dump.[/QUOTE] What? How is that, in anyway, a rebuttal?

Am I the only one who feels totally comfortable with living forever? I get that everyone I know and love will die before me, but I'm somehow okay with it... I think I might be one of those crazy people.

[QUOTE=The Janitor;41891921]Am I the only one who feels totally comfortable with living forever? I get that everyone I know and love will die before me, but I'm somehow okay with it... I think I might be one of those crazy people.[/QUOTE] I'd live as long as I wanted to if all my friends and family could as well, and when I'm done with life, I wish I could reincarnate myself, maybe as someone else.

[QUOTE=elevate;41891957]I'd live as long as I wanted to[B] if all my friends and family could as well[/B], and when I'm done with life, I wish I could reincarnate myself, maybe as someone else.[/QUOTE] I don't really get this; I mean it would suck to see people you love die, but it happens, and life goes on. You'd mourn, and then continue with your life. I really don't think it's justification for not wanting to live forever/long ass time.

[QUOTE=Sgt-NiallR;41892018]I don't really get this; I mean it would suck to see people you love die, but it happens, and life goes on. You'd mourn, and then continue with your life. I really don't think it's justification for not wanting to live forever/long ass time.[/QUOTE] I don't know about you but I really enjoy my friends and family. I wanna keep them around me for a good while. I don't care much for your concept of disposable people you got going on there.

[QUOTE=The Party Spy;41888040]Wait until 21st birthday and then become immortal, I could live with that. [sp]except seeing everyone you love or ever will love eventually die[/sp][/QUOTE] I will see myself die?

[QUOTE=ironman17;41890878]If we can find the right gene, I would save up for the gene therapy if it meant I could stop, or at least slow down, the march of decay that comes with age. I don't care if life starts to suck when I reach triple-figures, I am not fucking dying; anything's better than oblivion.[/QUOTE] Life is worse than oblivion

[QUOTE=The Janitor;41891921]Am I the only one who feels totally comfortable with living forever? I get that everyone I know and love will die before me, but I'm somehow okay with it... I think I might be one of those crazy people.[/QUOTE] The problem is that sooner or later you're going to get stuck with no way of dying. Forever. Nevermind the possible issue of outliving the universe.

[QUOTE=The Party Spy;41888040]Wait until 21st birthday and then become immortal, I could live with that. [sp]except seeing everyone you love or ever will love eventually die[/sp][/QUOTE] or maybe they all become immortal too? do you ever think about it that way? or only you?

I doubt immortality will ever be fully achieved, but perhaps we can atleast slow down aging or make it stop for a while. Even if we do manage to research immortality, I doubt it will be a simple and cheap procedure that everybody can go through. This also raises a lot of ethnical questions, such as who should be allowed to live forever? I say it should be used only for austronauts that are to travel great distances in the future that take years or even longer. Will humanity be able to keep it self from going further? I'm not sure, I mean, let's say most people did become immortal, and to balance it, the amount of births had to go down. Great... except wouldn't this slow down evolution?

This is all starting to sound like a Breencast

What a stupid article These people are aging normally just like anyone else would, the problem is they aren't developing normally. If anything all of these people mentioned in the article will likely die at 50-60 years of age, but just happen to look like a child when they do it. They aren't "biologically immortal" at all, they just have a condition where their genes very very slowly (or not at all) tell them the proper time to develop into a child, teenager and finally and adult, at the cost of a huge amount of deformities, blindness, underdevelopment, etc. If anything the real miracle is that one of them lived long enough to be 40 years old.

You people afraid of immortality overcrowding the planet really dont see the whole picture. This treatment wouldn't be handed out to everyone and their moms. Only the top guys would get it. Which would cause demonstrations and a sudden influx of immortal people dying.

[QUOTE=The Party Spy;41888040]Wait until 21st birthday and then become immortal, I could live with that. [sp]except seeing everyone you love or ever will love eventually die[/sp][/QUOTE] Except if this was possible this that argument would be pointless since other people could get it too.

[QUOTE=Sgt-NiallR;41891751]What? How is that, in anyway, a rebuttal?[/QUOTE] You're right, boy detective, it [I]wasn't[/I] a rebuttal! Now to solve the mystery of the belligerent brony... [editline]/[/editline] I'm sorry, that was much sassier than was warranted.

[QUOTE=Alex_DeLarge;41888001]This would be great if we could trigger it in people once they've reach their prime (20ish)[/QUOTE] [IMG]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e0/Intimefairuse.jpg[/IMG]

[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;41890958]I know, right? I'm only 22, and I already think that euthanasia should be mandatory. Just in general. Euthanize you, euthanize me, euthanize all our cousins and friends. Beats hanging out in [I]this[/I] dump.[/QUOTE] That's a stupid way to do it Let's build a shitload of rockets and deorbit the earth into the sun Imagine if there are aliens watching us, what they'd think "Holy shit Glorbax come get a load of this they're actually fuckin' doin' it"

[QUOTE=IceyMalone;41895419][IMG]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e0/Intimefairuse.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE] That was a god awful movie

[QUOTE=MrJazzy;41894227]I say it should be used only for austronauts that are to travel great distances in the future that take years or even longer. Will humanity be able to keep it self from going further? I'm not sure, I mean, let's say most people did become immortal, and to balance it, the amount of births had to go down. Great... except wouldn't this slow down evolution?[/QUOTE] Uh. What's the point of evolution as a human being ? There aren't many way to improve ourselves, and even if there are, I'm sure the species would invent ways to emulate them millions of years before said evolution would kick in.