SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
from the the-fountain-of-eternal-youth dept.
An end to grey hair and crows-feet could be just 10 years away after scientists showed it is possible to reverse ageing in animals.
Using a new technique which takes adult cells back to their embryonic form, US researchers at the Salk Institute in California, showed it was possible to reverse ageing in mice, allowing the animals to not only look younger, but live for 30 per cent longer.
The technique involves stimulating four genes which are particularly active during development in the womb. It was also found to work to turn the clock back on human skin cells in the lab, making them look and behave younger.
Scientists hope to eventually create a drug which can mimic the effect of the found genes which could be taken to slow down, and even reverse the ageing process. They say it will take around 10 years to get to human trials.
There is also a study paper.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 17 2016, @09:50AM
My view is that death has taken a lot away from us. It steals our past, it steals our future, and of course, we will eventually be lost to it as well.
Well, to be fair that is the role of death and that is why life so precious. On the other hand living to be 100 - 120 means your retirement fund better be twice as large because you're going to need it.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday December 17 2016, @01:29PM
Well, to be fair that is the role of death and that is why life so precious.
Well, to be fair, those are empty words. It's probably a bit late for most, if not all of us currently living, but we could be doing something about this other than coping.
On the other hand living to be 100 - 120 means your retirement fund better be twice as large because you're going to need it.
Or you could just work longer. That's certainly going to be a big part of the solution with far more radical life extension such as living to 1,000 years. It's ridiculous to complain about problems that are trivial to solve.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 17 2016, @04:59PM
Or you could just work longer.
Now that's something to look forward to! You can start working full time in your teens and then keep it up until your mid 80's. Nothing says "a longer, better life" than an additional 20 years of life filled with 20 years of labor.
That's certainly going to be a big part of the solution with far more radical life extension such as living to 1,000 years.
Let's see how the Earth handles an increasing population that lives an additional 20% - 30% before we totally ruin the planet with a population explosion that endures 1,000 years on this rock.
It's ridiculous to complain about problems that are trivial to solve.
Trivial to solve? Just do more of the stuff that makes life hard and arduous for an additional 20+ years because, you know, that's why we want you to live longer generic worker person.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday December 18 2016, @01:35AM
Let's see how the Earth handles an increasing population that lives an additional 20% - 30% before we totally ruin the planet with a population explosion that endures 1,000 years on this rock.
Before you go on with this nonsense, keep in mind that the longest lived countries are also the lowest fertility - that is, fewest children per person over the course of a human life.
In other words, we already know the Earth can handle the declining population that lives 20-30% longer. And living to 1,000 years gives us a long time to think about problems that we'd otherwise blow off. Like overpopulation. I wonder what else you oppose that helps the goals you allege to care about?
Now that's something to look forward to! You can start working full time in your teens and then keep it up until your mid 80's. Nothing says "a longer, better life" than an additional 20 years of life filled with 20 years of labor.
If you can't be bothered to work a little more, then I can't be bothered to care. You can always kill yourself early, if you really don't want to live longer. Suicide is pretty cheap, you know and you don't need to save up for it.