Living to 200?

[Adam's Apple]

Want to Live Forever?
By Mona Charen, The Conservative Voice
December 01, 2006

...we may be, in fact, almost certainly are, on the cusp of a revolution in longevity. Those of us under the age of 70 right now will not regain youth, but we may very well extend our healthy lives decades beyond what was ever possible before. Whether this will be, on the whole, a good or bad thing for society is an open question. But it is around the corner.

The scientific world is abuzz with life-extending technologies and techniques--some proven, others on the drawing board. Ray Kurzweil, winner of the 1999 National Medal of Technology, inductee into the Patent Office's Inventors' Hall of Fame and self-described futurist, offers tantalizing if somewhat freaky glimpses into the next 25 years of medical advances.

He reports, in "Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Live Forever," that the National Institutes of Health has funded research for a microscopic probe that would that would be inserted into a patient and would detect and treat precancerous and malignant tumors of the esophagus, stomach and colon. Kurzweil expects "nanobots" (blood-cell-sized robots built molecule by molecule) to perform a host of functions inside the body within the next 25 years.

"Nano-engineered blood-borne devices that deliver hormones such as insulin have been demonstrated in animals. Similar systems could precisely deliver dopamine to the brain for Parkinson's patients, provide blood-clotting factors for patients with hemophilia, and deliver cancer drugs directly to tumor sites."

In addition to all of this, scientists combining the disciplines of biology and artificial intelligence are developing technology that could one day replace whole human systems (like digestion) with improved biological/machine hybrids. The notion that human and machine are different spheres may change as we increasingly inject machines into our bodies and manipulate our cells. We may even be able to enhance intelligence. Work on gene therapy may yield the ability to turn gene expressions on and off -- which could affect everything from genetic diseases to the aging process itself.

for full article:
http://www.theconservativevoice.com/article/20711.html

 

[Stephanie]

No!

 

[Dan]

Go see how easy life is for someone who's 80-90 years old, then decide if living to 200 is a good idea.

 

[Avatar4321]

Go see how easy life is for someone who's 80-90 years old, then decide if living to 200 is a good idea.

i think people can adapt to it. I think the major problem is alot of those people stop working. when you stop having something to do you deteriorate fast.

I think this nanotechnology is interesting. releasing insulin in the bodies? Perhaps they might have a way to treat diebetes without injections everyday. That would be a huge breakthrough.

 

[Mr.Conley]

Go see how easy life is for someone who's 80-90 years old, then decide if living to 200 is a good idea.

It's not like like. Imagine living to 150, but with the body of a 45 year old. Much more enjoyable. What all these advances do is slow down the aging process. It's really rather interesting.

 

[Abbey Normal]

Would I have to keep working until I'm 175?

 

[Mr.Conley]

Not if you saved and invested your money wisely.

 

[Adam's Apple]

What all these advances do is slow down the aging process. It's really rather interesting.

Interesting it is. If this research becomes a reality, they will have long lines clamoring for their product(s). I would be included. An enriched life as we age beats what is available to us now.