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Dr Stanley Shostak


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#1 kevin

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Posted 10 December 2003 - 02:18 PM


Dr. Shostak has submitted the following abstract and cover information for our consideration. - KP



Cover Page
Stanley Shostak
sshostak@pittl.edu
412 421 0504
% Department of Biological Sciences
A224 Langley Hall
5th Avenue
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
USA

Abstract
Human beings are living longer on average and beyond one hundred years in increasing numbers. At the same time, fecundity is diminishing, women are delaying childbirth, sperm counts are down, and a youthful quality of life is becoming endemic. Although the preponderance of these events are typically explained by 'social' causes, the trends probably begin long before birth and have a major biological component: we are evolving in the direction of an indefinite lifetime or potential immortality. The explanation at the biological level would seem to be that potential germ cells are increasingly funneled into potential stem cells that are stored in organs where they take part in physiological turnover and healing, restoring vigor to organs that would otherwise age.

Biographical Sketch
Stanley Shostak was awarded a Ph.D. in Biology from Brown University in 1964 and is currently an Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. As a developmental biologist, he authored several research articles on regeneration in Cnidaria, notably Hydra, and recently completed his trilogy on the history and theory of biological thought: "Death of Life," "Evolution of Sameness and Difference," and "Becoming Immortal."

Edited by caliban, 13 January 2004 - 11:54 PM.


#2 Bruce Klein

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Posted 10 December 2003 - 05:36 PM

Very nice! There's also more on Shostak here:
http://imminst.org/f...=370&hl=shostak

#3 Bruce Klein

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Posted 17 December 2003 - 04:49 PM

Here's an interesting work recently published by Stanly here:

Immortality
Closer Than You Think*
Stanley Shostak


What if some of us could live forever? What might immortals be like, and what might life be like in a world shared with immortals?

Immortal human beings would resemble preadolescent human beings of about eleven years of age, with an individual appearance (phenotype) acquired through the interaction of hereditary material (genotype) with a physico-psycho-social structure known as the "environment." Indeed, the only physical difference between mortal preadolescents and immortals would be that the immortals would be of different chronological ages. Because the immortals's tissues, organs, and systems would be maintained and repaired eternally through the differentiation of self-renewing, pluripotential exotic stem (es) cells released by an internal generator, immortals would not mature or age.


http://www.utopianid...on/SShostak.htm

#4 caliban

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Posted 19 January 2004 - 12:03 AM

While I share reasons scepticism I would be extremely curious to read the paper.
IF he could even remotely back it up, that would change the tune of the discussion forever. [:o]

Nightingales: could you please ask him if he would be able/willing to submit his paper or at least an elaborating abstract soon, even though we cannot commit ourselves to publishing it?

#5 reason

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Posted 19 January 2004 - 03:10 AM

Can't hurt to look, but let me re-emphasise my scepticism once more...

Reason
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#6 Bruce Klein

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Posted 19 January 2004 - 03:33 AM

Nightingale: I've emailed Stanly.




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