About
UserAgreement
Bylaws
Stewards
Members
Become A Member
Contact
Newsletter
Announcements
Tweets
Podcast
Members Map
Book
Film
Gallery
Videos
Library
Calendar
Links
Quiz
Donate
Store
Projects
₮hank$
0
The Horrors of Aging pt. II
Posted by
N.T.M.
,
12 January 2011
·
833 views
In my previous blog post I wrote that our problem of human aging can be best addressed if we assume the perspective of an engineer, understanding that the human body is really analogous to a machine. Still, though, I must take a moment to add that the approach that follows is only one of several viable possibilities, all of which will be explained later. I’ve decided to begin with the engineering approach because of two reasons: it lays a nice foundational understanding of human aging, and it seems (to me) to be the one that’s most likely to be applied first. So, then, bearing that in mind, I’ll continue.
Why do we age?
Most succinctly put, we age because levels of damage exceed that of repair. And this leads to the obvious following questions:
Why does it happen and how can it be corrected?
Aging --the imbalance of damage and repair-- occurs as the result of an evolutionary balance: we’re endowed only with enough youthfulness to ensure the success of our progeny. Anything beyond this would carry opposing selective pressures and consequently would not (and hasn’t) materialize. In fact, life span is directly correlated with reproduction frequency. Those animals that reproduce less frequently are associated with longer life spans, while those with greater frequency, shorter life spans. It is along this continuum that we find ourselves plotted modestly, and quite vaguely (taking all things into account), somewhere near the center.
So, how do we go about correcting this meager standing and augment our “natural” life span eventually to the point of indefinite extension? Well that relates back to the analogy I opened upon: the human body is like a machine. This is because if any machine receives no extensive additional maintenance, like our bodies now, eventually the damage will accrue to a level where it can no longer function. And, conversely, if a machine is perfectly maintained, it can last indefinitely. Vintage cars are an excellent example.
So, then, in principle, if all the damage in the human body were to be obviated, such a body could go on running (still following the machine analogy) indefinitely, and therein lies the rationale.
Why do we age?
Most succinctly put, we age because levels of damage exceed that of repair. And this leads to the obvious following questions:
Why does it happen and how can it be corrected?
Aging --the imbalance of damage and repair-- occurs as the result of an evolutionary balance: we’re endowed only with enough youthfulness to ensure the success of our progeny. Anything beyond this would carry opposing selective pressures and consequently would not (and hasn’t) materialize. In fact, life span is directly correlated with reproduction frequency. Those animals that reproduce less frequently are associated with longer life spans, while those with greater frequency, shorter life spans. It is along this continuum that we find ourselves plotted modestly, and quite vaguely (taking all things into account), somewhere near the center.
So, how do we go about correcting this meager standing and augment our “natural” life span eventually to the point of indefinite extension? Well that relates back to the analogy I opened upon: the human body is like a machine. This is because if any machine receives no extensive additional maintenance, like our bodies now, eventually the damage will accrue to a level where it can no longer function. And, conversely, if a machine is perfectly maintained, it can last indefinitely. Vintage cars are an excellent example.
So, then, in principle, if all the damage in the human body were to be obviated, such a body could go on running (still following the machine analogy) indefinitely, and therein lies the rationale.
