4 replies to this topic

[InquilineKea]

Couldn't they be SUPER-easy to investigate in a lab, seeing as they're resistant to everything?

[ggranger007]

Why don't you? Take action!

As hardy as they are, they may have only limited lifespans. We really don't know how long they live. This site claims they may only live one year. Their ability to undergo cryptobiosis is a marvel, but probably not practical to most people wanting to extend their lives. This would be like us entering suspended animation and waking up centuries later to find out everyone we know has passed on - how practical is that?

Still, if we could selectively slow down our metabolism or reduce some of our activity while we sleep, it could have practical life extension possibilities. Who knows...

Edited by ggranger007, 28 September 2011 - 04:21 AM.

[Marios Kyriazis]

Still, if we could selectively slow down our metabolism or reduce some of our activity while we sleep, it could have practical life extension possibilities. Who knows...

Aging happens because energy resources are insufficiently allocated (to the germ-line instead of to the soma/body), and so the damage vs repair rate is skewed. Slowing down the metabolism will help reduce the rate of damage, but it won't improve the rate of repair. A far better way to improve matters is to increase the input of energy resources, for example through increased informational energy (see Shannon's entropy concept). This improves biological complexity and helps improve the rate of repair.

[1101]

@mrzzeta

"Aging happens because energy resources are insufficiently allocated"
That claim is as bold as it is incorrect. I'm not exactly sure what you mean by using terms like "energy resources" and "informational energy" but slowing down certain metabolic processes does indeed increase the life expectancy of an organism. There are multiple reasons why this could be. For instance slowing down the bodies overall metabolic processes means that cells are going to divide less often and thus lose telometric repeats at a decreased rate. Inhibiting the various processes behind ATP synthesis will reduce the rate of oxygen free radicals produced in the mitochondria. I'm sure there are more but those two happened to be on the top of my head. Ggranger007 makes a good point in suggesting slowing down certain metabolic processes (ie any that aren't needed nor naturally slowed/stopped during sleep) in order to slow the aging process. Though this would be difficult because there won't necessarily be any one process that drastically contributes to aging. It would also be difficult to determine whether or not a process really needs to be on or off during sleep, a phenomena that is not all that well understood considering the impact it has on our lives.

Edited by 1101, 12 October 2011 - 05:11 AM.

[Marios Kyriazis]

@mrzzeta

"Aging happens because energy resources are insufficiently allocated"
That claim is as bold as it is incorrect.

The fact remains that the soma (body) ages and dies, whereas the germline is virtually immortal. This is simply because the germline (DNA) has sufficient resources for its repair, whereas the body has not. This concept has been described by the disposable soma theory. Free radicals and telomere length are too simplistic, reductionistic explanations that have no true relevance in explaining why aging happens.