There is a possibility that in the future people will be able to live forever. This can one day become a reality through the quest and development of nanotechnology and biomedicine. A great deal of research is still necessary, and certainly, immortality isn’t a new concept. It has been considered by our ancient ancestors and maybe soon a possibility. Listen to our experts’ opinions.
It would be appropriate to give a scientific definition to mortality. Immortality, as opposed to mortality, defies the aging process. It requires the absence of death or possibility of fatality. It gives human the ability to live an eternal life whereby the period of living is infinite and unknown. The question that arises is whether immortality is a scientific possibility.
Michael R. Rose, Professor of evolutionary Biology at the University of California and author of ‘Evolutionary Biology of Aging’ strove to make some fundamental research on the biological possibility of immortality. The research gives rise to significant findings. The issue is that not everything gets old. The life cycle would be impossible if that was the case. The constant life of cells to produce and reproduce sperms and eggs (germline) would be very impossible over the millions of years that have passed by.
A simple example could be most bananas that we eat. The bananas are a replicate of an immortal clone generated during plantation. The same phenomenon is apparently present in human beings. We have germ-lines, which are segregated from our body at a very early stage. The presence of the cells to produce gametes (germ cells) weren’t born yesterday. They have been living since millions of years. There role is to assure that life continues eternally. So yes, immortality is a biological possibility.
Eternal life should be considered as a basic possibility. Aubrey de Grey is an authority in the field of anti-aging theory. It is from the Cambridge University and does determinately believe in immortality. The institution gives a theoretical account of how scientific and societal evolution can address and conquer longevity in ‘The War on Aging’.
A full analysis on the microbiological and biomedical aspects is a necessity to prolong life. Nowadays the prevailing research considers that cell therapy is a utopian step towards eternal life. It is judged that stem cell tissues engineering will improve health and thereby extend the life span. João Pedro de Magalhães gives a thorough account on this topic in “The Dream of Elixir Vitae”
Another eye catching field is ‘Therapeutic cloning, which basically accounts for our presence today –cloning-. Michael West, President of Advanced Cell Technology and amidst the pioneers of modern stem cell search, consider that therapeutic cloning is one the most important step for the quest of conquering death.
Nanomedicine isn’t a rhetoric, it is our actual state of technology. Stem cell is an innovative step but nanomedicine is even more intriguing in anti-aging treatments. Robert A. Freitas, is a specialist in the field of nanotechnology. He insistently portrays how nano-machines can reverse the fate of death. The molecular-sized apparatus will be able to repair and heal aging cells. However, the scope isn’t limited to only the role of being maintainers; it will even be able to construct and define substances previously veiled to scientists.
These facts give a brief overview how humankind will be in the near future. Dr. Brian Wowk, realistically stated that immortality might be a distant accomplishment in the future. This implies that those who seek immortality might not be benefiting from it. This is where Dr. Brian raised the issue of ‘Medical Time Travel’. This consists of maintaining a human brain to the time the scientific predictions become feasible.
Immortality is a possibility based on experts in biomedicine, nanomedicine, cell therapy and microbiology. Life in the future might indeed become eternal.
Thu, Nov 26, 2009
Anti Aging, Health And Aging, Immortality, Longevity