Aging Is Recorded in Our Genes - Polidicks

[QUOTE=AceOfDivine;36303039]Why do we have genes that kill us on purpose?[/QUOTE] To quote Sagan, "The secret of evolution, is time and death" Sure maybe it doesn't make sense that we'd have a kill switch, but if it kill us at over 100, no other civilization has gotten close enough to put pressure on the gene to be bred out. Maybe it's an inadvertent effect of our ability to sweat or something. [editline]12th June 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=LtKyle2;36305733]It doesn't matter, we havent evolved one fucking bit the past[B] few million years [/B]anyway.[/QUOTE] Australopithecus afarensis disagrees [IMG]https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/gpezza2/www/Aafarensis.jpg[/IMG]

[QUOTE=Electrocuter;36302573]Hopefully we'll find a way to prevent this from happening, being old and full of diseases doesn't sound fun.[/QUOTE] "being old" is just a bunch of symptoms. It's not one single thing. Loss of collagen and certain acids cause wrinkly skin, heart disease is the usual way people die, etc. All it is is a bunch of symptoms from different things all working in tandem to make you "old". And symptoms are treatable. [editline]12th June 2012[/editline] There's so much stuff in this thread that I would just love to argue in person...

[QUOTE=LtKyle2;36305733]It doesn't matter, we havent evolved one fucking bit the past few million years anyway.[/QUOTE] Uh, yeah we have?

it's amazing, how close we are to immortality already

[QUOTE=Gears of duty;36303542]If we made everyone live until they turned 200 or so, it wouldn't exactly help with the overpopulation.[/QUOTE] Overpopulation is a myth in most areas other than china. Most areas are actually seeing DECLINING birth rates. [editline]12th June 2012[/editline] Things like this just make me ever more hopeful that pseudo-immortality will be developed before I die.

You call this news This was known for ages

[QUOTE=LtKyle2;36305733]It doesn't matter, we havent evolved one fucking bit the past few million years anyway.[/QUOTE] I'm sorry but, humans aren't the perfect end of evolutionary development. We easily break down and die given the right circumstances. Using this simple logic, you can tell we would require improvement. Also, think about things like the wisdom teeth, the appendix, and goose bumps. In fact, the only "Perfect creation of evolutionary development" I can really think of are [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockroach#Hardiness"]cockroaches[/URL], who haven't evolved in a long, long time. Bastards seem damn near unstoppable. [QUOTE=Collin665;36304582]Okay, but that article doesn't say aging is genetic either. It says that over time methylation of our DNA changes. That is pretty much it.[/QUOTE] [url]http://divas-knockouts.aforumfree.com/t18123-a-jellyfish-that-can-never-die[/url] what about these? Though, maybe I'm just being a derp posting that, but still.

[QUOTE=sami-pso;36303148]Dying is good for evolution. I quite like the idea of disabling aging, because it allows humans to travel far into space.[/QUOTE] for space travel I support the idea, but we'll either need a REALLY good pass-time or some way of inducing unconsciousness for very, very long stretches of time, otherwise we'll only get crazy, senile, useless astronauts colonizing our planets.

Is this news? I thought the hayflick limit established this as a fact a long time ago.

[QUOTE=AceOfDivine;36303039]Why do we have genes that kill us on purpose?[/QUOTE] Natural selection doesn't really extend to people that live that long. Normally no one lived as long as we do today, so there was no means of eliminating the people who lived a maximum life ~120 years. It wouldn't matter anyways, because most people are sterile at that age, right?

I like to think this is how it goes: Certain Age = High percentage chance of sterility. Pretty much a waste of resources for others. Thus death by old age being a solution for future generatons to keep reproducing.

[QUOTE=SinjinOmega;36308065]I like to think this is how it goes: Certain Age = High percentage chance of sterility. Pretty much a waste of resources for others. Thus death by old age being a solution for future generatons to keep reproducing.[/QUOTE] Or you know? stopping/slowing aging = people stay fit for longer, able to contribute more physically and academically.

[QUOTE=Globex;36309428]Or you know? stopping/slowing aging = people stay fit for longer, able to contribute more physically and academically.[/QUOTE] Contribution beyond sex doesn't much matter for natural selection.

I'm sure by the time we reach true immortality, overpopulation won't factor in at all because we'd be able to easily colonize another nearby planet.

[QUOTE=Sgt-NiallR;36311393]Contribution beyond sex doesn't much matter for natural selection.[/QUOTE] natural selection shouldn't be an active interest it's just what happens when people die why wait for nature to make you better over millions of years, when you can do it yourself over a few months?

[QUOTE=Mr. Smartass;36306333]Overpopulation is a myth in most areas other than china. Most areas are actually seeing DECLINING birth rates. [editline]12th June 2012[/editline] Things like this just make me ever more hopeful that pseudo-immortality will be developed before I die.[/QUOTE] with my luck i'm sure they'll develop pseudo-immortality a few months after I die or at the point where it's too late to actually work on me that would really suck.

[QUOTE=Daniellynet;36303685]Good thing we're starting to create artificial hearts etc. then! There are also transplants.[/QUOTE] Sounds like we're turning into the Universal Union. The next thing you know, we find a portal that opens up to us that takes us to another planet and that planet has another portal open to it that reveals another universe of humans that we can enslave.

[QUOTE=maurits150;36303041]I don't like the idea of disabling aging. This just means we get even more people on the world and that the rich get to live longer then the poor (genetically).[/QUOTE] Well unless its controlled by the state or regulated heavily in which case everybody gets to live as long as they want. Dude like 90% of the world's land is used for farming... As soon as we get in-vitro meat and vertical farming we free up a ridiculous amount of space in the world. Then population is no longer an issue. There is more than enough food in the world, its just not getting to where its needed.

[QUOTE=Earthen;36312554]Well unless its controlled by the state or regulated heavily in which case everybody gets to live as long as they want. Dude like 90% of the world's land is used for farming... As soon as we get in-vitro meat and vertical farming we free up a ridiculous amount of space in the world. Then population is no longer an issue. There is more than enough food in the world, its just not getting to where its needed.[/QUOTE] Unless you're Australia, in which you've still got a massive desert to get rid of. Honestly, fuck that desert. It is the exact reason why real estate prices are so bullshit over here.