191 replies to this topic

[william7]

Aging, in scientific terms, is a process of gradual DNA function decline due to a buildup of errors in the genetic code.

True, I have no special knowledge in biology or genetics, but I ask you what type of degree do you hold in this area? From my understanding of the literature on aging, diet and stress play major roles in the process. The problem is not completely a genetic one my young friend.

[kylyssa]

Aging, in scientific terms, is a process of gradual DNA function decline due to a buildup of errors in the genetic code.

True, I have no special knowledge in biology or genetics, but I ask you what type of degree do you hold in this area? From my understanding of the literature on aging, diet and stress play major roles in the process. The problem is not completely a genetic one my young friend.

The new cells your body is constantly making rely on a genetic coding - DNA. Over time as you age the coding begins to develop errors. Diet and stress affect the reproduction of cells thus a poor diet and/or stress can increase the rate of DNA decay. Like a photocopy is great but a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy isn't quite as perfect as the original your DNA slowly degrades with the continued reproduction of cells. The cells of your fingertip did not exist when you were a baby - they are many generations away from your nearly perfect infant genetic code. You are not that baby, actually, you are a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy ..................................... of a photocopy of that baby.

[william7]

The new cells your body is constantly making rely on a genetic coding - DNA. Over time as you age the coding begins to develop errors. Diet and stress affect the reproduction of cells thus a poor diet and/or stress can increase the rate of DNA decay. Like a photocopy is great but a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy isn't quite as perfect as the original your DNA slowly degrades with the continued reproduction of cells. The cells of your fingertip did not exist when you were a baby - they are many generations away from your nearly perfect infant genetic code. You are not that baby, actually, you are a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy ..................................... of a photocopy of that baby.

You would agree then that we need to ameliorate both diet and stress as well as modifying the genes to slow and eventually halt aging? But where should society, at this present stage in its development, concentrate most of its precious time, talent, and resources on -- diet and lifestyle or genetic modification? What should be the major focus today?

[amar]

The new cells your body is constantly making rely on a genetic coding - DNA. Over time as you age the coding begins to develop errors. Diet and stress affect the reproduction of cells thus a poor diet and/or stress can increase the rate of DNA decay. Like a photocopy is great but a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy isn't quite as perfect as the original your DNA slowly degrades with the continued reproduction of cells. The cells of your fingertip did not exist when you were a baby - they are many generations away from your nearly perfect infant genetic code. You are not that baby, actually, you are a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy ..................................... of a photocopy of that baby.

You would agree then that we need to ameliorate both diet and stress as well as modifying the genes to slow and eventually halt aging? But where should society, at this present stage in its development, concentrate most of its precious time, talent, and resources on -- diet and lifestyle or genetic modification? What should be the major focus today?

Everything.

[kylyssa]

There are six billion people on the planet, surely we can pursue more than one strategy at a time.

[william7]

There are six billion people on the planet, surely we can pursue more than one strategy at a time.

Yea, but we know that only small portion of this number participate in longevity research. Funds for research can't be all that plentiful or the Alliance for Aging Research wouldn't have to be making a plea at the Capitol for extensive funding. See http://www.agingrese...nd/overview.cfm.

If this National Geographic video is correct where it says it's 25 percent genes and 75 percent lifestyle that determines longevity, you would think the greatest emphasis would be on necessary lifestyle changes.

[Aegist]

If this National Geographic video is correct where it says it's 25 percent genes and 75 percent lifestyle that determines longevity, you would think the greatest emphasis would be on necessary lifestyle changes.

But no doubt those statistics are in reference to longevity within the currently accepted human lifespan.

We don't want to have a long lifespan by that reference, we want to overshoot that lifespan. Hence we need to change our genetics if anything.

[william7]

But no doubt those statistics are in reference to longevity within the currently accepted human lifespan.

We don't want to have a long lifespan by that reference, we want to overshoot that lifespan. Hence we need to change our genetics if anything.

I think I have a solution. Since the above mentioned video says it's 25 percent genes and 75 percent lifestyle that go into longevity, why not put 75 percent of the time, talent, and resources into perfecting lifestyle and the other 25 percent into the purely biological aspect of the problem? Doesn't this seem fair to you?

Wouldn't it be nice to see medical researchers living to a ripe old age as a result of living the perfect lifestyle? They would certainly have much more time to focus on their particular research protocol.

I don't see the point of a genetic extension of lifespan if bad diet, stress and lifestyle can undue these gains.

[stephenszpak]

I don't think I understand what this is about. This is probably
far off, but you want a mainframe computer to bring world
happiness? Like I said, I don't think I'm understanding this
Friendly AI stuff.

Read all of this paper. You must slog through the whole thing, or you won't get it. I've read tens of thousands of pages on Wikipedia, read hundreds of scientific books, and written over a million words in the last 10 years, but the most important intellectual milestone in my life was when I came across the works of Eliezer S. Yudkowsky.

Michael

I've read about 7 pages of your link. I've just got to say I don't know
what you think/want to happen regarding AI. Therefore I have no idea
what I'm even looking for when I read.

Do you want a super-computer to run all the affairs of everyone one Earth?
who they marry? what job they work at? etc.

Do you want androids to run corporations and/or be Congressmen?



-Stephen

[amar]

A singularity religion. [sfty] I suppose this is to help amp the fervor to get it done, and to jest? Religion is kinda funny stuff. The term "singularity" does imply something chaotic and apocalyptic, like religion. I don't think it was the best name to choose for it though. I would just name it AAI (Advanced Artifiical Intelligence) but I'm boring.

[mr objective]

Please read this and comment, I only get thought patterns like this when I'm in a trance

What Christians and God-Believers need to understand is that if there was a God, when he supposedly created Adam and Eve, he created a flawed species.

Keyword: Flawed

They failed, his children, his creation, every nerve in thier head, every outside stimulant triggered them to eat the apples. Flawed. Everything in the universe is so simple its beautiful. Simplicity is a reason, its reason is that things need to get along, and why go above and beyond with complex unnecessary variables? Everything seems to have a reason, it gets to where it NEEDS to be and then stops, this is simplicity. Thats my opinion, and God isn't simple, theres no reason for a God figure in our lives to survive, often ignorance is a happier route, I live without a God figure, theres no reason to have an afterlife. Theres no reason why we shouldn't die, except we don't want to believe it because we associate it with the end of our humiliatingly sad "intelligently" thinking that sends us into turmoil and guessing games. Then we get God. We are flawed in our thinking, with only bits of truth, and we don't know for sure what those bits are because like the imaginary yet classic example of Adam and Eve, we are flawed in a way that makes us who we are, MAN, not GOD, the imaginary concept of GOD, or any hope to meet this imaginary character which is very viably able to be thought up by MAN, yet MAN can't explain it, so they look to the imaginary GOD they created in their heads to explain it, and they wonder why theres no answer. Lol, LOOPHOLES to drive you insane. My 16 year old brain hurts now.

[amar]

And thus God, supposedly an omnibenevolent term, sometimes appears more akin to the Devil than Satan himself, for at least Satan is honestly the Devil. The God which set forth prophesies of Armegeddon and Apocalypse of which masses are cheerfully self-fulfilling in these intrigueing times sometimes seems the ultimate of enemies, but there may be an angelic solace yet in the curiouser and curiouser of mirky futures, and a genuine messianic God force healing our collective dooms. If the singularity is as religion, what will "singularity" have to do with "apocalypse"? And what, if anything, do they have to do with the term "solipsism"?