NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Life extension

Life extension refers to an increase in maximum or average lifespan, especially in humans, by slowing down or reversing the processes of aging. Average lifespan is determined by vulnerability to accidents and age-related afflictions such as cancer or cardiovascular disease. Extension of average lifespan can be achieved by good diet, exercise and avoidance of hazards such as smoking and excessive eating of sugar-containing foods. Maximum lifespan is determined by the rate of aging for a species inherent in its genes and probably by certain environmental factors. Currently, the only widely recognized method of extending maximum lifespan is calorie restriction. Theoretically, extension of maximum lifespan can be achieved by reducing the rate of aging damage, by periodic replacement of damaged tissues, or by molecular repair or rejuvenation of deteriorated cells and tissues. Maximum life span is a measure of the maximum number of years a member of a group can be expected to survive. ... World map of human life expectancy Life expectancy is a statistical measure of the average length of survival of a living thing. ... It has been suggested that Longevity genes be merged into this article or section. ... A railing accidentally collapses at a college football game, spilling fans onto the sidelines An accident is something going wrong unexpectedly. ... Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these to spread, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion, or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis (where cancer cells are transported through the bloodstream or lymphatic system). ... Cardiovascular disease refers to the class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels (arteries and veins). ... In nutrition, the diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. ... The term Exercise can refer to: Physical exercise such as running or strength training Exercise (options), the financial term for enacting and terminating a contract Category: ... The cigarette is the most common method of smoking tobacco. ... This article is about sugar as food and as an important and widely-traded commodity. ... Maximum life span is a measure of the maximum number of years a member of a group can be expected to survive. ... The effects of ageing on a human face Elderly woman Ageing or aging is the process of systems deterioration with time. ... For other uses, see Gene (disambiguation). ... See also Negative calorie diet, very low calorie diet CRON redirects here. ... Tissue engineering is the use of a combination of cells, engineering and materials methods, and suitable biochemical and physio-chemical factors to improve or replace biological functions. ... Nanobiotechnology is the branch of nanotechnology with biological and biochemical applications or uses. ... Rejuvenation is the procedure of reversing the aging process, thus regaining youth. ...

Researchers of life extension are known as biogerontologists. They seek to understand the nature of aging and they develop treatments to reverse aging processes or to at least slow them down, for the improvement of health and the maintenance of youthful vigor at every stage of life. (Biomedical gerontologists are distinguished from biogerontologists in that the latter may take a purely academic interest in the biological mechanisms of aging, without seeking a "cure".) Those who take advantage of life extension findings and seek to apply them upon themselves are called "life extensionists" or "longevists". The primary life extension strategy currently is to apply available anti-aging methods in the hope of living long enough to benefit from a complete cure to aging once it is developed, which given the rapidly advancing state of biogenetic and general medical technology, could conceivably occur within the lifetimes of people living today (around 2020 according to Raymond Kurzweil).^[1] Gerontology is the study of aging. ... Gerontology is the study of aging. ... It has been suggested that Longevity genes be merged into this article or section. ... 2020 (MMXX) will be a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Raymond Kurzweil (pronounced: ) (born February 12, 1948) is a pioneer in the fields of optical character recognition (OCR), text-to-speech synthesis, speech recognition technology, and electronic keyboard instruments. ...

Many biomedical gerontologists and life extensionists believe that future breakthroughs in tissue rejuvenation with stem cells, organs replacement (with artificial organs or xenotransplantations) and molecular repair will eliminate all aging and disease as well as allow for complete rejuvenation to a youthful condition. Whether such breakthroughs can occur within the next few decades is impossible to predict. Many life extensionists arrange to be cryonically preserved upon legal death so that they can await the time when future medicine can eliminate disease, rejuvenate them to a lasting youthful condition and repair damage caused by the cryonics process. ^{[citation needed]} Rejuvenation is the procedure of reversing the aging process, thus regaining youth. ... Mouse embryonic stem cells with fluorescent marker. ... This article is about the biological unit. ... This article is about the biological unit. ... Xenotransplantation (xeno- from the Greek meaning foreign) is the transplantation of living cells, tissues or organs from one species to another such as from pigs to humans (see Medical grafting). ... In science, a molecule is the smallest particle of a pure chemical substance that still retains its chemical composition and properties. ... Not to be confused with cryogenics. ... For the chemical substances known as medicines, see medication. ... This article is about the medical term. ... Rejuvenation is the procedure of reversing the aging process, thus regaining youth. ... Not to be confused with cryogenics. ...

Whether the maximum human lifespan should be extended is the subject of much ethical debate amongst politicians and scientists. But the life extension movement, which began in the early 1980s, continues to grow rapidly in popularity and momentum among scientists and the general public.^{[citation needed]} Bioethics is the ethics of biological science and medicine. ...

Aging

Aging is an accumulation of damage to macromolecules, cells, tissues and organs. The maximum life span known for humans is 122.5 years, whereas the maximum lifespan of a mouse is about 3 years. Genetic differences between humans and mice that may account for these different aging rates include efficiency of DNA repair, types and quantities of antioxidant enzymes, different rates of free radical production, etc. (See Senescence for more detail on aging theories.) It has been suggested that Longevity genes be merged into this article or section. ... The effects of ageing on a human face Elderly woman Ageing or aging is the process of systems deterioration with time. ... Illustration of a polypeptide macromolecule Structure of a polyphenylene dendrimer macromolecule reported by MÃ¼llen and coworkers in Chem. ... Drawing of the structure of cork as it appeared under the microscope to Robert Hooke from Micrographia which is the origin of the word cell being used to describe the smallest unit of a living organism Cells in culture, stained for keratin (red) and DNA (green) The cell is the... Biological tissue is a collection of interconnected cells that perform a similar function within an organism. ... This article is about the biological unit. ... Maximum life span is a measure of the maximum number of years a member of a group has been observed to survive. ... This article is about modern humans. ... This article is about the animal. ... DNA damage resulting in multiple broken chromosomes DNA repair refers to a collection of processes by which a cell identifies and corrects damage to the DNA molecules that encode its genome. ... Space-filling model of the antioxidant metabolite glutathione. ... Ribbon diagram of the enzyme TIM, surrounded by the space-filling model of the protein. ... In chemistry, radicals (often referred to as free radicals) are atomic or molecular species with unpaired electrons on an otherwise open shell configuration. ... It has been suggested that Longevity genes be merged into this article or section. ...

Strategies of life extension

Anti-aging nutritional supplementation and medicine

Much of anti-aging medicine has been concerned with the use of nutritional supplements to extend lifespan. The idea that antioxidant supplements, such as Vitamin C, Vitamin E, lipoic acid and N-acetylcysteine, might extend human life stems from the free radical theory of aging. Space-filling model of the antioxidant metabolite glutathione. ... A dietary supplement is intended to supply nutrients, (vitamins, minerals, fatty acids or amino acids) that are missing or not consumed in sufficient quantity in a persons diet. ... This article is about the nutrient. ... Tocopherol, or vitamin E, is a fat-soluble vitamin in eight forms that is an important antioxidant. ... Lipoic acid, also known as Î±-lipoic acid (alpha lipoic acid) or thioctic acid, has formula C8H14S2O2 and systematic name 5-(1,2-dithiolan-3-yl)pentanoic acid. ... Acetylcysteine (rINN) (IPA: ), also known as N-acetylcysteine (abbreviated NAC), is a pharmacological agent used mainly as a mucolytic and in the management of paracetamol overdose. ... Free-radical theory. ... Ageing or aging is the process of getting older. ...

Diabetes resembles accelerated aging^{[citation needed]} and is associated with cross-linking of proteins by sugars, more specifically monosaccharides. Some^{[attribution needed]} believe that anti-glycating supplements (supplements that reduce the protein cross-linking by monosaccharides), such as carnosine, pyridoxamine, benfotiamin and lysine, might reduce aging. This article is about the disease that features high blood sugar. ... Ageing or aging is the process of getting older. ... A representation of the 3D structure of myoglobin, showing coloured alpha helices. ... This article is about sugar as food and as an important and widely-traded commodity. ... Monosaccharides are the simplest form of carbohydrates. ... Glycation is the result of a sugar-reducing molecule, such as fructose or glucose, bonding to a protein or lipid molecule without the controlling action of an enzyme. ... Carnosine (beta-alanyl-L-histidine) is a dipeptide of the amino acids beta-alanine and histidine. ... The two major forms of vitamin B6 are pyridoxine and pyridoxamine. ... Benfotiamin, or benfotiamine, is an allithiamin, a naturally-occurring lipophilic form of thiamine. ... Lysine is one of the 20 amino acids normally found in proteins. ...

Hormone replacement therapy – which aims at restoring youthful levels of growth hormone, testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, melatonin, DHEA and thyroid (all of which decline with age)^{[citation needed]} – has also been tried as means of reducing the effects of aging. Growth hormone (GH) or somatotropin (STH) is a protein hormone which stimulates growth and cell reproduction in humans and other animals. ... Melatonin, 5-methoxy-N-acetyltryptamine, is a hormone found in all living creatures from algae[1] to humans, at levels that vary in a diurnal cycle. ... Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), is a natural steroid prohormone produced from cholesterol by the adrenal glands, the gonads, adipose tissue, brain and in the skin (by an autocrine mechanism)]. DHEA is the precursor of androstenedione, testosterone and estrogen. ...

Other less popular hormones are oxytocin, insulin, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), erythropoietin (EPO), and others. Resveratrol is a sirtuin stimulant proposed to extend life in mammals in a similar manner to that claimed for calorie restriction in simple model organisms such as nematodes. Oxytocin (Greek: quick birth) is a mammalian hormone that also acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain. ... Insulin (from Latin insula, island, as it is produced in the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas) is an anabolic polypeptide hormone that regulates carbohydrate metabolism. ... Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a peptide hormone produced in pregnancy, that is made by the embryo soon after conception and later by the syncytiotrophoblast (part of the placenta). ... Erythropoietin (IPA pronunciation: , alternative pronunciations: ) or EPO is a glycoprotein hormone that is a cytokine for erythrocyte (red blood cell) precursors in the bone marrow. ... Resveratrol is a phytoalexin produced naturally by several plants when under attack by bacteria or fungi. ... Sir2 (whose homology in mammals is SIRT1, SIR2L1 or Sir2Î±) is a member of a family of closely related enzymes, the sirtuins. ... See also Negative calorie diet, very low calorie diet CRON redirects here. ... Classes Adenophorea Subclass Enoplia Subclass Chromadoria Secernentea Subclass Rhabditia Subclass Spiruria Subclass Diplogasteria Subclass Tylenchia The nematodes or roundworms (Phylum Nematoda from Greek (nema): thread + -ode like) are one of the most common phyla of animals, with over 20,000 different described species (over 15,000 are parasitic). ...

Some supplements have been shown to be of benefit against some aging-related disease conditions, or have extended average lifespan in animals, though none have been proven to do so in humans. Calorie restriction and supplementation with the minerals selenium,^[2] chromium^[3] and zinc^[4] have been shown to extend maximum lifespan in mice. Metformin^[5] may also extend life span in mice, and in the first experiments with fish, resveratrol^[6] looks promising. (Resveratrol is presently (2006) being tested in mice.) For other uses, see Selenium (disambiguation). ... General Name, symbol, number chromium, Cr, 24 Chemical series transition metals Group, period, block 6, 4, d Appearance silvery metallic Standard atomic weight 51. ... General Name, symbol, number zinc, Zn, 30 Chemical series transition metals Group, period, block 12, 4, d Appearance bluish pale gray Standard atomic weight 65. ... Metformin (INN; trade names Glucophage, Diabex, Diaformin, Fortamet, Riomet, Glumetza and others) is an anti-diabetic drug from the biguanide class of oral hypoglycemic agents. ... Resveratrol is a phytoalexin produced naturally by several plants when under attack by bacteria or fungi. ...

Calorie restriction

The restriction of energy intake, or calories, in an otherwise healthy diet (a practice generally called Calorie restriction or simply CR) has been shown to extend the maximum lifespan of almost every species on which it has been tested, including rats, yeast, fruit flies, and nematodes. In rodents, a roughly 50% maximum lifespan extension is seen with a roughly 50% restriction of calories from what would be consumed by freely-feeding animals. Experiments are in progress with primates to test whether calorie restriction can extend the lifespan of long-lived species. Some people believe that these experiments will be successful, and that the results will similarly hold true for humans. A group called the Calorie Restriction Society was formed with the help of Brian M. Delaney, Lisa Walford, and Roy Walford in the mid-1990s. These people may have the willpower and determination to restrict their caloric intake in the hope of extending their lives, but they are very few in number. They communicate by e-mail and have been flown to Washington University in St. Louis to be studied by Dr. John Holloszy. Calorie restriction is under current study at the UW-Madison and several other universities. It has moved into testing on primates. See also Negative calorie diet, very low calorie diet CRON redirects here. ... See also Negative calorie diet, very low calorie diet CRON redirects here. ... Lifespan is the maximum number of years a species can survive, defined by the oldest documented age of an individual member. ... This is an article about wild rats; for pet rats, see Fancy rat Species 50 species; see text *Several subfamilies of Muroids include animals called rats. ... Typical divisions Ascomycota (sac fungi) Saccharomycotina (true yeasts) Taphrinomycotina Schizosaccharomycetes (fission yeasts) Basidiomycota (club fungi) Urediniomycetes Sporidiales Yeasts are a growth form of eukaryotic microorganisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with approximately 1,500 species described. ... Species Drosophila melanogaster Drosophila subobscura Drosophila is a genus of small flies whose members are often called fruit flies or more appropriately vinegar flies, wine flies, pomace flies, grape flies, and picked fruit-flies. ... Classes Adenophora Subclass Enoplia Subclass Chromadoria Secernentea Subclass Rhabditia Subclass Spiruria Subclass Diplogasteria The roundworms (Phylum Nematoda) are one of the most common phyla of animals, with over 20,000 different described species. ... Families Many, see text The order Rodentia is the most numerous of all the branches on the mammal family tree. ... A calorie refers to a unit of energy. ... For the ecclesiastical use of this term, see primate (religion) Families 13, See classification A primate is any member of the biological order Primates, the group that contains all lemurs, monkeys, and apes, including humans. ... The Calorie Restriction Society is an organization composed of several thousand people practicing and studying Calorie restriction. ... Brian Manning Delaney, born 1963 in California, USA, philosopher, author, and translator, based primarily in Stockholm, Sweden. ... Roy Lee Walford (June 29, 1924 - April 27, 2004) was an advocate of caloric restriction. ... Washington University in St. ... Nickname: Location in the state of Missouri Coordinates: , Country State County Independent City Government - Mayor Francis G. Slay (D) Area - City 66. ... The University of Wisconsinâ€“Madison is a public university located in Madison,Wisconsin. ...

Chemical and genetic interventions in animal models

The evidence for use of growth Hormone is mixed. An early study suggested that supplementation of mice with growth hormone increased average life expectancy. Additional animal experiments have suggested that growth hormone may generally act to shorten maximum lifespan; knockout mice lacking the receptor for growth hormone live especially long. Growth hormone (GH) or somatotropin (STH) is a protein hormone which stimulates growth and cell reproduction in humans and other animals. ... Growth hormone (GH) or somatotropin (STH) is a protein hormone which stimulates growth and cell reproduction in humans and other animals. ... Growth hormone (GH) or somatotropin (STH) is a protein hormone which stimulates growth and cell reproduction in humans and other animals. ... Knockout mice A knockout mouse is a genetically engineered mouse that has had one or more of its genes made inoperable through a gene knockout. ... In biochemistry, a receptor is a protein on the cell membrane or within the cytoplasm or cell nucleus that binds to a specific molecule (a ligand), such as a neurotransmitter, hormone, or other substance, and initiates the cellular response to the ligand. ...

Resveratrol is a substance that has been shown to extend the lifespan of yeast, fruit flies, certain fishes and rats. Other experiments in mammals are currently underway. The manner by which resveratrol achieves this effect remains unknown, although it has been conjectured that it is involved in the mechanism that underlies the lifespan enhancing effects of calorie restriction. Resveratrol is a phytoalexin produced naturally by several plants when under attack by bacteria or fungi. ...

Likewise, the Sir2 class of genes is conjectured to be involved in the calorie restriction mechanism; yeast genetically engineered to overexpress Sir2 live longer. Sir2 (whose homology in mammals is SIRT1, SIR2L1 or Sir2Î±) is a member of a family of closely related enzymes, the sirtuins. ...

Large availability of insulin generally leads to shorter lifespan. Mice genetically engineered to lack an insulin receptor in fat tissue live longer. Mice with an overexpression of the Klotho gene, which limits insulin sensitivity, also show an extended lifespan. Insulin (from Latin insula, island, as it is produced in the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas) is an anabolic polypeptide hormone that regulates carbohydrate metabolism. ... The Klotho gene is expressed in several species; it codes for a transmembrane protein, also named Klotho, which provides some control over the sensitivity of the organism to insulin and appears to be involved in aging. ...

Cloning and body part replacement

Biotechnologies, particularly those of human cloning and stem cell research, are thought to offer some possibility of replacing aging body parts with 'new' parts grown artificially. Current technology has already demonstrated the feasibility of body part replacement in laboratory experiments, most notably the fabrication of a functioning dog's bladder that proved to be viable after successful implantation. Bladders and other simple biological structures more readily lend themselves to artificial fabrication, whereas complex biological structures such as mammalian joints and limbs are not yet possible to fabricate artificially. Given the exponential progression of technology, it is probable that the artificial fabrication of replacement body parts, both simple and complex, along with successful implantation technology will one day be possible. In one popular scenario, an individual's brain is transplanted from his or her aging body into a new, youthful body cloned from his or her own tissues. Experiments were conducted in the mid-20th century to transplant brains from one body to another (conducted in both monkeys and dogs), but failed due to rejection and the inability to restore nerve connections. Proponents of body part replacement and cloning contend that the required biotechnologies are likely to appear earlier than other life-extension technologies. For other uses, see clone. ... Mouse embryonic stem cells with fluorescent marker. ... Transplant rejection occurs when the immune system of the recipient of a transplant attacks the transplanted organ or tissue. ...

Moral controversy surrounding stem cell research and human cloning continues to cloud the issue.

Cryonics

Cryonics is inspired by the fact that life extension technologies may eventually allow people to live thousands of years of youthful life. But these technologies may not be available for another 50 years, if ever. There is a danger that anyone, including young people, may die before the new medicine becomes available. Cryopreservation shortly after legal death may provide an "ambulance" into the future. The basis of cryonics is that at cryogenic temperatures there will be no alteration in biological tissue for thousands of years, which allows plenty of time for future medicine to achieve the required capabilities. Not to be confused with cryogenics. ... When plotted on a logarithmic graph, 15 separate lists of paradigm shifts for key events in human history show an exponential trend. ... Cryopreservation of plant shoots. ... An ambulance in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico A Helicopter used as an Ambulance. ... Cryogenics is the study of very low temperatures or the production of the same, and is often confused with cryobiology, the study of the effect of low temperatures on organisms, or the study of cryopreservation. ...

For those in cryonics, future medicine will not only be able to cure all disease and rejuvenate everyone to a youthful condition, but it will be able to repair any damage that is caused by the cryopreservation process. Molecular repair technology (nanotechnology and nanomedicine) is expected to be able to achieve these results. But to be safe, and to minimize damage, efforts have been made to eliminate all freezing damage through vitrification and to minimize ischemic damage through rapid cooling and cardio-pulmonary support immediately following pronouncement of death. Cryopreservation of plant shoots. ... Buckminsterfullerene C60, also known as the buckyball, is the simplest of the carbon structures known as fullerenes. ... Nanomedicine is the medical application of nanotechnology. ... A vitrification experiment for the study of nuclear waste disposal at Pacific Northwest National Labs Vitrification is a process of converting a material into a glass-like amorphous solid which is free of any crystalline structure, either by the quick removal or addition of heat, or by mixing with an... In medicine, ischemia (Greek Î¹ÏƒÏ‡Î±Î¹Î¼Î¯Î±, isch- is restriction, hema or haema is blood) is a restriction in blood supply, generally due to factors in the blood vessels, with resultant damage or dysfunction of tissue. ... Cardio is the medical term used to reference the heart. ... Human respiratory system The lungs flank the heart and great vessels in the chest cavity. ...

Cryonics is not freezing of humans or animals. Ice is very damaging to body tissues, so all cryonics organizations use cryoprotectants to prevent ice formation, i.e., anti-freeze substances that can reduce or prevent ice formation. Formerly cryonics organizations used glycerol as their cryoprotectant, which resulted in about 80% ice elimination (vitrification) and about 20% freezing. Cryonicists believed that damage that was being caused by disease, by aging and by the freezing would someday be repaired by nanotechnology. With vitrification the burden on future technology has been greatly reduced. With cells and tissues mainly preserved by cooling, future technology should be able to repair damage resulting if the cooling process is not too delayed. In physics and chemistry, freezing is the process whereby a liquid turns to a solid. ... Biological tissue is a collection of interconnected cells that perform a similar function within an organism. ... A cryoprotectant is a substance that is used to protect biological tissue from freezing damage (damage due to ice formation). ... This article is about water ice. ... â€œGlycerineâ€ redirects here. ... A vitrification experiment for the study of nuclear waste disposal at Pacific Northwest National Labs Vitrification is a process of converting a material into a glass-like amorphous solid which is free of any crystalline structure, either by the quick removal or addition of heat, or by mixing with an... This article is about the medical term. ... The effects of ageing on a human face Elderly woman Ageing or aging is the process of systems deterioration with time. ... Buckminsterfullerene C60, also known as the buckyball, is the simplest of the carbon structures known as fullerenes. ... A vitrification experiment for the study of nuclear waste disposal at Pacific Northwest National Labs Vitrification is a process of converting a material into a glass-like amorphous solid which is free of any crystalline structure, either by the quick removal or addition of heat, or by mixing with an... Drawing of the structure of cork as it appeared under the microscope to Robert Hooke from Micrographia which is the origin of the word cell being used to describe the smallest unit of a living organism Cells in culture, stained for keratin (red) and DNA (green) The cell is the... Biological tissue is a collection of interconnected cells that perform a similar function within an organism. ...

Since the 1990s vitrification solutions have been developed that have virtually eliminated ice formation (reduced to less than 0.2%). In fact, it was announced in July 2005 that one such solution had been used to vitrify rabbit kidney at −135°C, and was later transplanted into a rabbit with full viability. A vitrification experiment for the study of nuclear waste disposal at Pacific Northwest National Labs Vitrification is a process of converting a material into a glass-like amorphous solid which is free of any crystalline structure, either by the quick removal or addition of heat, or by mixing with an... For other uses, see Rabbit (disambiguation). ... The kidneys are organs that filter wastes (such as urea) from the blood and excrete them, along with water, as urine. ... An organ transplant is the transplantation of an organ (or part of one) from one body to another, for the purpose of replacing the recipients damaged or failing organ with a working one from the donor. ... Viability can mean: In an environmental conservation context, viability indicates the ability of a conservation target to persist for many generations or over long time periods. ...

Stoppage of heartbeat and breathing, the usual criteria for legal death, do not correspond to the death of cells and tissues of the body. The cells and tissues are still very much alive when death is pronounced. Even at room temperature cells and tissues take hours to die, and days to decompose. Although neurological damage is the usual consequence of cessation of heartbeat for more than 4-6 minutes, the irreversible neurodegenerative processes do not manifest for hours^[7]. Heart rate is a term used to describe the frequency of the cardiac cycle. ... Breathing transports oxygen into the body and carbon dioxide out of the body. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Drawing of the structure of cork as it appeared under the microscope to Robert Hooke from Micrographia which is the origin of the word cell being used to describe the smallest unit of a living organism Cells in culture, stained for keratin (red) and DNA (green) The cell is the... Biological tissue is a collection of interconnected cells that perform a similar function within an organism. ... Drawing of the structure of cork as it appeared under the microscope to Robert Hooke from Micrographia which is the origin of the word cell being used to describe the smallest unit of a living organism Cells in culture, stained for keratin (red) and DNA (green) The cell is the... Biological tissue is a collection of interconnected cells that perform a similar function within an organism. ... For other uses, see Temperature (disambiguation). ... Drawing of the structure of cork as it appeared under the microscope to Robert Hooke from Micrographia which is the origin of the word cell being used to describe the smallest unit of a living organism Cells in culture, stained for keratin (red) and DNA (green) The cell is the... Biological tissue is a collection of interconnected cells that perform a similar function within an organism. ... Decomposition is the reduction of bodies and other formerly living organisms into simpler forms of matter; and most particularly to the fate of the body, after death. ... This article is about the branch of medicine. ... Neurodegenerative disease (Greek Î½ÎÏ…ÏÎ¿-, nÃ©uro-, nerval and Latin dÄ“generÄre, to decline or to worsen) is a condition in which cells of the brain and spinal cord are lost. ...

Rapid cooling and cardio-pulmonary support applied immediately after pronouncement of death can preserve cells and tissues for long-term preservation at cryogenic temperatures. People, especially children, have survived up to an hour without heartbeat after having fallen into ice water. Full recovery has been reached for up to 45 minutes^[8]. Cryonics "standby teams" wait by the bedside of cryonics patients to apply cooling and cardio-pulmonary support as soon as possible after declaration of death. Cryonicists do not believe that legal death is real death (irreversible destruction of the anatomical basis of mind) any more than conventional medicine now accepts that cessation of heartbeat is "real death", when the heart can be restarted with a defibrillator. Cardio is the medical term used to reference the heart. ... Human respiratory system The lungs flank the heart and great vessels in the chest cavity. ... Drawing of the structure of cork as it appeared under the microscope to Robert Hooke from Micrographia which is the origin of the word cell being used to describe the smallest unit of a living organism Cells in culture, stained for keratin (red) and DNA (green) The cell is the... Biological tissue is a collection of interconnected cells that perform a similar function within an organism. ... Cryogenics is the study of very low temperatures or the production of the same, and is often confused with cryobiology, the study of the effect of low temperatures on organisms, or the study of cryopreservation. ... For other uses, see Temperature (disambiguation). ... Cardio is the medical term used to reference the heart. ... Human respiratory system The lungs flank the heart and great vessels in the chest cavity. ... Greek anatome, from ana-temnein, to cut up), is the branch of biology that deals with the structure and organization of living things; thus there is animal anatomy (zootomy) and plant anatomy (phytonomy). ... For other uses, see Mind (disambiguation). ... For the chemical substances known as medicines, see medication. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

SENS (Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence)

Dr. Aubrey de Grey has suggested that it will someday be possible for humans to live thousands of years in a youthful condition. He calls his project to reverse the damage we call aging SENS (Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence). (de Grey's book "Ending Aging" which outlines SENS in detail was published in September 2007.) He has proposed seven strategies for the "seven deadly things": Engineered negligible senescence refers to an engineered prevention or reversal of cellular aging (referred to as senescence in biology). ... Aubrey David Nicholas Jasper de Grey, Ph. ... Engineered negligible senescence refers to an engineered prevention or reversal of cellular aging (referred to as senescence in biology). ...

Dr. de Grey co-founded the Methuselah Mouse Prize, which awards money to researchers who can extend the lifespan of mice or rejuvenate mice. The term Exercise can refer to: Physical exercise such as running or strength training Exercise (options), the financial term for enacting and terminating a contract Category: ... A top-down view of skeletal muscle Muscle (from Latin musculus little mouse [1]) is contractile tissue of the body and is derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells. ... Growth factor is a protein that acts as a signaling molecule between cells (like cytokines and hormones) that attaches to specific receptors on the surface of a target cell and promotes differentiation and maturation of these cells. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Mouse embryonic stem cells. ... Drawing of the structure of cork as it appeared under the microscope to Robert Hooke from Micrographia which is the origin of the word cell being used to describe the smallest unit of a living organism Cells in culture, stained for keratin (red) and DNA (green) The cell is the... A scanning electron microscope image of a single neutrophil (yellow), engulfing anthrax bacteria (orange). ... Gene therapy is the insertion of genes into an individuals cells and tissues to treat a disease, and hereditary diseases in which a defective mutant allele is replaced with a functional one. ... For other uses, see Gene (disambiguation). ... A representation of the 3D structure of myoglobin, showing coloured alpha helices. ... Vulcanization is an example of cross-linking. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... In cell biology, molecular biology and related fields, the word extracellular means outside the cell. It is used in contrast to intracellular (inside the cell). ... For other uses, see Amyloid (disambiguation). ... A vial of the vaccine against influenza. ... â€œWhite Blood Cellsâ€ redirects here. ... Ribbon diagram of the enzyme TIM, surrounded by the space-filling model of the protein. ... Phyla Actinobacteria Aquificae Chlamydiae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus-Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Lentisphaerae Nitrospirae Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Verrucomicrobia Bacteria (singular: bacterium) are unicellular microorganisms. ... Lipofuscin is the name given to brown pigment granules composed of lipid-containing residues of lysosomal digestion. ... Electron micrograph of a mitochondrion showing its mitochondrial matrix and membranes In cell biology, a mitochondrion (plural mitochondria) is a membrane-enclosed organelle that is found in most eukaryotic cells. ... HeLa cells stained for DNA with the Blue Hoechst dye. ... Mitochondrial DNA (some captions in German) Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is the DNA located in organelles called mitochondria. ... In biology, a mutagen (Latin, literally origin of change) is an agent that changes the genetic information (usually DNA) of an organism and thus increases the number of mutations above the natural background level. ... In chemistry, radicals (often referred to as free radicals) are atomic or molecular species with unpaired electrons on an otherwise open shell configuration. ... In cell biology, a mitochondrion is an organelle found in the cells of most eukaryotes. ... HeLa cells stained for DNA with the Blue Hoechst dye. ... DNA damage resulting in multiple broken chromosomes DNA repair refers to a collection of processes by which a cell identifies and corrects damage to the DNA molecules that encode its genome. ... A representation of the 3D structure of myoglobin, showing coloured alpha helices. ... Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these to spread, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion, or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis (where cancer cells are transported through the bloodstream or lymphatic system). ... Gene therapy is the insertion of genes into an individuals cells and tissues to treat a disease, and hereditary diseases in which a defective mutant allele is replaced with a functional one. ... For other uses, see Gene (disambiguation). ... Telomerase is an enzyme that adds specific DNA sequence repeats (TTAGGG in all vertebrates) to the 3 (three prime) end of DNA strands in the telomere regions, which are found at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes. ... Mouse embryonic stem cells. ... The Methuselah Mouse Prize or Mprize is a growing $3. ... This article is about the animal. ... Rejuvenation is the procedure of reversing the aging process, thus regaining youth. ...

Suspended animation

Suspended animation is the slowing of life processes by external means without termination. Breathing, heartbeat, and other involuntary functions may still occur, but they can only be detected by artificial means. Extreme cold is used to precipitate the slowing of an individual's functions. Although the technique has not been applied to human, experiments are successful in dogs, pigs and mice. Scientist drain the blood out of the animals' bodies and putting an ice cold solution into their circulatory systems. After 3 hours of clinically dead, their blood was put back into their circulatory systems, and the dogs were revived by delivering an electric shock to their hearts. Scientist also have done similar experiments on pigs and tested for 200 times with a 90 percent success rate.".^[9]^[10]. There are also experiments reports success towards inducing suspended animation in mice by using chemical method ^[11] , according to an article published in a scientific journal Science on April 22, 2005 Suspended animation is the slowing of life processes by external means without termination. ... is the 112th day of the year (113th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Mind uploading

Mind uploading is the transfer of the human mind/consciousness to a more durable material vessel (stereotypically but not necessarily a silicon computer). The concept is based on materialism, the philosophy of mind that argues that the human spirit is entirely composed of a very complex system of physical and chemical interactions. However, it is not understood how consciousness exists, and thus no existing scientific understanding for "reading" the "contents" of a human mind. With computer power increasing exponentially, and technology in the pipeline to keep up the trend, futurist Ray Kurzweil predicts that computer hardware will be powerful enough to run a functional model of the human mind by the 2020s. Several developing technologies hypothetically allow the complete mapping of human brains on a similar timescale. Uploading the human mind to a computer, if possible, would potentially greatly extend human lifespan due to the ability to construct highly durable computer hardware and the potential to copy or transfer the mind to multiple computers. In transhumanism and science fiction, mind uploading (also occasionally referred to by other terms such as mind downloading, mind transfer, whole brain emulation, whole body emulation, or electronic transcendence) refers to the hypothetical transfer of a human mind to an artificial substrate, such as a computer simulation. ... In transhumanism and science fiction, mind transfer (also referred to as mind uploading or mind downloading, depending on ones point of reference), whole body emulation, or electronic transcendence refers to the hypothetical transfer of a human mind to an artificial substrate. ... For other uses, see Mind (disambiguation). ... Consciousness is a quality of the mind generally regarded to comprise qualities such as subjectivity, self-awareness, sentience, sapience, and the ability to perceive the relationship between oneself and ones environment. ... Not to be confused with Silicone. ... This article is about the machine. ... In philosophy, materialism is that form of physicalism which holds that the only thing that can truly be said to exist is matter; that fundamentally, all things are composed of material and all phenomena are the result of material interactions; that matter is the only substance. ... A Phrenological mapping of the brain. ... Gordon Moores original graph from 1965 Growth of transistor counts for Intel processors (dots) and Moores Law (upper line=18 months; lower line=24 months) For the observation regarding information retrieval, see Mooers Law. ... Future studies reflects on how todayâ€™s changes (or the lack thereof) become tomorrowâ€™s reality. ... Dr. Raymond Kurzweil (born February 12, 1948) is a pioneer in the fields of optical character recognition (OCR), text-to-speech synthesis, speech recognition technology, and electronic musical keyboards. ...

History of life extension and the life extension movement

In 1970, the American Aging Association was formed under the impetus of Denham Harman originator of the free radical theory of aging. Harman wanted an organization of biogerontologists that was devoted to research and to the sharing of information among scientists interested in extending human lifespan. Denham Harman (February 14, 1916 - ), MD, PhD, FACP, FAAA biogerontologist is Professor emeritus at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. ... Free-radical theory. ... Ageing or aging is the process of getting older. ... Gerontology is the study of aging. ...

Although the desire to extend life can be traced as far back as the Epic of Gilgamesh, it was the 1982 bestselling book Life Extension: A Practical Scientific Approach (ISBN 0-446-51229-X) by Durk Pearson and Sandy Shaw that popularized the phrase. In that book the authors detailed six major causes of aging, and presented dietary supplementation strategies for slowing down five of those. They also emphasized improving the quality of life, presenting methods of using the same dietary supplements that extend life to enhance sex (sex drive and sexual performance), cognitive function (intelligence, concentration, memory, mental stamina, etc.), stress management, sleep (quality of sleep, sleep reduction, and fast recovery from jet lag), athletic performance, body building, sports medicine, etc. The authors' two-pronged approach (showing how to live long and live well) makes their book a virtual nutritional toolbox, and this may account for why the book was so successful at kickstarting the life extension movement. Many other authors have followed this general strategy, promoting the quality of life applications of nutrients and drugs to attract readers to the subject of life extension. The Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic poem from Babylonia and is among the earliest known literary works. ... Co-author of Life Extension: A Practical Scientific Approach (ISBN 044651229X, Warner Books, 1982), The Life Extension Companion (Warner Books), and The Life Extension Weight Loss Manual. ... Co-author of Life Extension: A Practical Scientific Approach (ISBN 0-446-51229-X, Warner Books, 1982), The Life Extension Companion (Warner Books), and The Life Extension Weight Loss Manual. ... A dietary supplement is intended to supply nutrients, (vitamins, minerals, fatty acids or amino acids) that are missing or not consumed in sufficient quantity in a persons diet. ...

The 1980 book The Life Extension Revolution (ISBN 0-688-03580-9) by Saul Kent did not sell so well. But Mr. Kent appeared on the Merv Griffin Show with Pearson and Shaw, and was able to use the flood of letters to create the nutraceutical firm called the Life Extension Foundation, which is non-profit. The Life Extension Foundation has grown to produce a magazine which has a large circulation. The group has a track record which includes promoting the benefits of many health supplements such as S-adenosyl methionine and melatonin many years before the medical field accepted the benefits of those substances. Saul Kent is a prominent life extension activist, and co-founder of the Life Extension Foundation, a major dietary supplement vendor and promoter of anti-aging research. ... Nutraceutical is a portmanteau of [Nutrition] and [pharmaceutical] and refers to foods thought to have a beneficial effect on human health. ... The Life Extension Foundation is a membership organization that informs people about the latest advances in the life extension sciences, sells dietary supplements, and funds life extension research by offering grants to scientists in universities and by supporting startup biotech companies. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Melatonin, 5-methoxy-N-acetyltryptamine, is a hormone found in all living creatures from algae[1] to humans, at levels that vary in a diurnal cycle. ...

Money generated by the Life Extension Foundation allowed Saul Kent to finance the Alcor Life Extension Foundation, the largest cryonics organization. The cryonics movement had been launched in 1962 by Robert Ettinger's book, The Prospect of Immortality. In the 1960s, Saul Kent had been a co-founder of the Cryonics Society of New York. Alcor gained national prominence when the baseball star Ted Williams was cryonically preserved by Alcor in 2002 and a family dispute arose as to whether Ted had really wanted to be cryopreserved. This bigfoot Dewar is custom-designed to contain four wholebody patients and six neuropatients immersed in liquid nitrogen at âˆ’196 degrees Celsius. ... Not to be confused with cryogenics. ... Robert Chester Wilson Ettinger (born December 4, 1918) is known as the father of cryonics due to the impact of his 1962 book THE PROSPECT OF IMMORTALITY. He founded the Cryonics Institute and the related Immortalist Society and until 2003 served as their President. ... This bigfoot Dewar is custom-designed to contain four wholebody patients and six neuropatients immersed in liquid nitrogen at âˆ’196 degrees Celsius. ... Theodore Samuel Williams (August 30, 1918 â€“ July 5, 2002), best known as Ted Williams, nicknamed The Kid, the Splendid Splinter, Teddy Ballgame and The Thumper, was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball. ... Cryopreservation of plant shoots. ...

In 1983, Dr. Roy Walford, a life-extensionist gerontologist published a popular book called Maximum Lifespan. Later, Dr. Walford and his student Dr. Richard Weindruch summarized years of their research into the ability of calorie restriction to extend the lifespan of rodents in their 1988 scholarly work The Retardation of Aging and Disease by Dietary Restriction (ISBN 0-398-05496-7). It had been known since the work of Clive McCay in the 1930s that calorie restriction can extend the maximum lifespan of rodents. But it was the work of Walford and Weindruch that gave detailed scientific grounding to that knowledge. Walford's personal interest in life extension motivated his scientific work and he practiced calorie restriction himself. Dr Wolford died at the age of 80 from complications caused by Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a disease not firmly related to aging with causes still not understood. Roy Lee Walford (June 29, 1924 - April 27, 2004) was an advocate of caloric restriction. ... Gerontology is the study of aging. ... See also Negative calorie diet, very low calorie diet CRON redirects here. ... Suborders Sciuromorpha Castorimorpha Myomorpha Anomaluromorpha Hystricomorpha Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents. ... Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, sometimes called Lou Gehrigs Disease, Maladie de Charcot or motor neurone disease) is a progressive, fatal, neurodegenerative disease caused by the degeneration of motor neurons, the nerve cells in the central nervous system that control voluntary muscle movement. ...

For years the FDA was in contention with the Life Extension Foundation, including through seizure of merchandise and court action. The FDA did not regard aging as a disease or life extension as a valid treatment category. In 1991 Saul Kent and Bill Faloon, the principals of the Foundation were jailed and told by the FDA that they would become the target of criminal indictments that would "destroy their lives forever"^[12] and were advised to plead guilty of crimes against the state. Against legal advice, Kent and Faloon fought the FDA in court and filed countercharges concerning their mistreatment. In 1995 the FDA informed Kent and Faloon that, in exchange for a guilty plea, they would not have to go to prison and could continue doing business on a more limited basis. Instead of pleading guilty, Kent and Faloon filed a new battery of legal motions, escalated their counterattack against the FDA and began extensive preparations for their trial. In November 1995, the FDA dropped all charges except the charge of "obstruction of justice" against Saul Kent. In February 1996, this charge was also dropped. â€œFDAâ€ redirects here. ... Saul Kent is a prominent life extension activist, and co-founder of the Life Extension Foundation, a major dietary supplement vendor and promoter of anti-aging research. ...

In 1992 the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) was formed to create an anti-aging medical specialty distinct from geriatrics, and to hold conferences for physicians interested in this field. The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) is a charitable 501(c)(3) medical society dedicated to the advancement of technology to detect, prevent, and treat aging related disease and to promote research into methods to retard and optimize the human aging process. ... Geriatrics is the branch of medicine that focuses on health promotion and the prevention and treatment of disease and disability in later life. ...

An important development in the life extension movement was the creation of the Usenet group, sci.life-extension. Brian M. Delaney created sci.life-extension in 1993, and the forum made possible, among other things, the creation of the CR Society. Usenet (USEr NETwork) is a global, decentralized, distributed Internet discussion system that evolved from a general purpose UUCP architecture of the same name. ... Brian Manning Delaney, born 1963 in California, USA, philosopher, author, and translator, based primarily in Stockholm, Sweden. ... The Calorie Restriction Society (often referred to as the CR Society) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization composed of several thousand people practicing, and supporting and conducting research into, calorie restriction. ...

A recent development in life extension has been the work of biogerontologist Aubrey de Grey of Cambridge University. Dr. de Grey proposes that damage to macromolecules, cells, tissues and organs can be repaired by advanced biotechnology. Gerontology is the study of aging. ... Aubrey David Nicholas Jasper de Grey, Ph. ... The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University), located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and has a reputation as one of the worlds most prestigious universities. ... Illustration of a polypeptide macromolecule Structure of a polyphenylene dendrimer macromolecule reported by MÃ¼llen and coworkers in Chem. ... Drawing of the structure of cork as it appeared under the microscope to Robert Hooke from Micrographia which is the origin of the word cell being used to describe the smallest unit of a living organism Cells in culture, stained for keratin (red) and DNA (green) The cell is the... Biological tissue is a collection of interconnected cells that perform a similar function within an organism. ... This article is about the biological unit. ... The structure of insulin Biotechnology is technology based on biology, especially when used in agriculture, food science, and medicine. ...

The concept of Actuarial escape velocity, invented by futurist and author Ray Kurzweil, posits that developments in life extension technology will reach a point at which the technology keeps pace with or even outpaces the rate at which humans age. This represents a kind of gateway to immortality. Actuarial escape velocity is a concept invented by the futurist and sci-fi author Ray Kurzweil. ... Dr. Raymond Kurzweil (born February 12, 1948) is a pioneer in the fields of optical character recognition (OCR), text-to-speech synthesis, speech recognition technology, and electronic musical keyboards. ... This article is about living for infinite period of time. ...

Scientific controversy about life extension

Anti-aging nutritional supplementation and medicine

Although Alex Comfort and Bernard Strehler have been retrospectively claimed as anti-aging gerontologists, other biogerontologists vehemently deny that aging is a disease. Possibly the most prominent biogerontologist making this denial is Leonard Hayflick, who determined that fibroblasts are limited to around 50 cell divisions. Hayflick reasons that aging is an unavoidable consequence of entropy. Alexander Comfort (February 10, 1920 - March 26, 2000) was a medical professional, anarchist, pacifist and writer, best known for The Joy of Sex, which played a part in what is often called the sexual revolution. ... Gerontology is the study of aging. ... Gerontology is the study of aging. ... Leonard Hayflick (born in 1928), Ph. ... NIH/3T3 Fibroblasts A fibroblast is a type of cell that synthesizes and maintains the extracellular matrix of many animal tissues. ... For a less technical and generally accessible introduction to the topic, see Introduction to entropy. ...

Dr. Denham Harman spent years experimenting with antioxidants, and was able to establish only that they can extend mean lifespan; he was unable to demonstrate an effect on maximum lifespan. Non-antioxidant nutrients (such as selenium,^[2] chromium^[3] and zinc^[4]) are more effective and have extended maximum lifespan. In response to what they saw as unscrupulous profiteering by those engaged in the selling of supplements and the practice of anti-aging medicine, a group of prominent biogerontologists began a "war" on anti-aging medicine in general and the A4M in particular. Jay Olshansky, Leonard Hayflick, and Bruce Carnes wrote a position paper against anti-aging medicine^[13] Denham Harman (February 14, 1916 - ), MD, PhD, FACP, FAAA biogerontologist is Professor emeritus at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. ... Space-filling model of the antioxidant metabolite glutathione. ... For other uses, see Selenium (disambiguation). ... General Name, symbol, number chromium, Cr, 24 Chemical series transition metals Group, period, block 6, 4, d Appearance silvery metallic Standard atomic weight 51. ... General Name, symbol, number zinc, Zn, 30 Chemical series transition metals Group, period, block 12, 4, d Appearance bluish pale gray Standard atomic weight 65. ... A dietary supplement is intended to supply nutrients, (vitamins, minerals, fatty acids or amino acids) that are missing or not consumed in sufficient quantity in a persons diet. ... Gerontology is the study of aging. ... Dr. S. Jay Olshansky, professor at the University of Illinois at Chicagos School of Public Health. ... Leonard Hayflick (born in 1928), Ph. ...

Calorie restriction

Main article: Calorie restriction See also Negative calorie diet, very low calorie diet CRON redirects here. ...

Despite the results on yeast, fruit flies and nematodes, criticisms have been raised that the results of calorie restriction experiments on laboratory rats are not generalizable because years of inbreeding have made these animals different from those found in the wild. Even if it is conceded that the rat work may be generalizable to some extent, some argue that the results are applicable only to short-lived species that have evolved to respond to feast and famine with alterations in longevity. Proving that the results are generalizable in a way that encourages hope of extended life for human beings is difficult, because experiments with long-lived species necessarily take a very long time to perform. Typical divisions Ascomycota (sac fungi) Saccharomycotina (true yeasts) Taphrinomycotina Schizosaccharomycetes (fission yeasts) Basidiomycota (club fungi) Urediniomycetes Sporidiales Yeasts are a growth form of eukaryotic microorganisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with approximately 1,500 species described. ... Binomial name Meigen, 1830[1] Drosophila melanogaster (from the Greek for black-bellied dew-lover) is a two-winged insect that belongs to the Diptera, the order of the flies. ... Binomial name Maupas, 1900 Caenorhabditis elegans (IPA: ) is a free-living nematode (roundworm), about 1 mm in length, which lives in temperate soil environments. ... It has been suggested that inbreeding depression be merged into this article or section. ...

Scientists have varying theories on why calorie restriction experiments would increase the life spans of the animals who have been tested with it besides the calories being reduced. These include the habitat, the genetic line of the test subjects, and the nutritional content of the animal's diets, and the frequencies of feeding. Some critics observe that the test animals are not exposed to the same stresses that humans are in everyday life in modern environments, which may give humans a greater need for the calories. Habitat (which is Latin for it inhabits) is the place where a particular species live and grow. ... This article is about the general scientific term. ... The updated USDA food pyramid, published in 2005, is a general nutrition guide for recommended food consumption for humans. ...

SENS (Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence)

SENS is a novel program initiated by Aubrey de Grey, which aims to research and develop engineering-like strategies for the indefinite extension of life in individuals, rather like one might attempt to indefinitely keep a classic car in working order by various types of intervention, including improving the robustness of existing components by replacement or modification. Engineered negligible senescence refers to an engineered prevention or reversal of cellular aging (referred to as senescence in biology). ... Aubrey David Nicholas Jasper de Grey, Ph. ...

The SENS project has been criticized as a pipe dream based on pure speculation, rather than on robust science. Aubrey de Grey has been criticized on the ground that he is a theoretician who does no empirical work himself. Yet Dr. de Grey collaborates extensively with experimental scientists, publishes several peer-reviewed scientific papers per year, organizes scientific conferences, and is editor-in-chief of the peer-reviewed journal Rejuvenation Research. Aubrey de Grey is Editor-in-Chief of the Rejuvenation Research journal, which deals with topics related to engineered negligible senescence. ...

Aubrey de Grey's claim that cancer is the only significant effect of unrepaired damage and mutation of nuclear DNA (nDNA) and the epigenetic state of cells is widely disputed by experienced biologists, who claim that it is contradicted by current theory and evidence (see for example,^[14]^[15]), and this impacts both of his last two strategies (neither of which is appropriately described as "repair"). Evidence of significantly reduced oxidative damage to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and negligible oxidative damage to nDNA in calorie restricted rats^[16] is misleading because DNA repair capability declines with age. Thymine dimer removal (a form of DNA repair) is about five times greater in newborn fibroblasts than in fibroblasts from the elderly.^[17] So although DNA damage other than mutation (cancer), may be small in the young, it increases greatly with age. (Moving mtDNA into the nucleus would not be as beneficial as he presumes if nDNA is subject to such a decline in DNA repair with age.) In response, de Grey notes that this increase applies to cancer-causing mutations and other mutations alike, and thus does not challenge his logic. It has been suggested that mutant be merged into this article or section. ... Illustration of a redox reaction Redox (shorthand for oxidation/reduction reaction) describes all chemical reactions in which atoms have their oxidation number (oxidation state) changed. ... Mitochondrial DNA (some captions in German) Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is the DNA located in organelles called mitochondria. ... See also Negative calorie diet, very low calorie diet CRON redirects here. ... Species 50 species; see text *Several subfamilies of Muroids include animals called rats. ... DNA damage resulting in multiple broken chromosomes DNA repair refers to a collection of processes by which a cell identifies and corrects damage to the DNA molecules that encode its genome. ... // Nucleotide Excision Repair DNA constantly requires repair due to chemical damage that can occur to bases, and nucleotide excision repair (NER) is one of the mechanisms by which the cell can prevent unwanted mutations caused by base damage (see also Base excision repair). ... DNA damage resulting in multiple broken chromosomes DNA repair refers to a collection of processes by which a cell identifies and corrects damage to the DNA molecules that encode its genome. ... NIH/3T3 Fibroblasts A fibroblast is a type of cell that synthesizes and maintains the extracellular matrix of many animal tissues. ... Old age consists of ages nearing the average lifespan of human beings, and thus the end of the human life cycle. ... DNA damage resulting in multiple broken chromosomes DNA repair is a process constantly operating in each cell of a living being; it is essential to survival because it protects the genome from damage. ... It has been suggested that mutant be merged into this article or section. ... Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these to spread, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion, or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis (where cancer cells are transported through the bloodstream or lymphatic system). ... HeLa cells stained for DNA with the Blue Hoechst dye. ...

A comparison of the heart mitochondria in rats (4-year lifespan) and pigeons (35-year lifespan) showed that pigeon mitochondria leak fewer free radicals than rat mitochondria, despite the fact that both animals have similar metabolic rate and cardiac output. Pigeon heart mitochondria (oxidative phosphorylation protein Complexes I & III) showed a 4.6% free radicals leak compared to a 16% free radical leak in rat heart mitochondria.^[18] Rather than copy mtDNA into the nucleus, it may be a more effective strategy to reduce free radical production in mitochondria by making human Complex I more like the Complex I found in birds, by copying from the bird genome. A comparison of 7 non-primate mammals (mouse, hamster, rat, guinea-pig, rabbit, pig and cow) showed that the rate of mitochondrial superoxide and hydrogen peroxide production in heart and kidney were inversely correlated with maximum life span.^[19] A similar study of 8 non-primate mammals showed a direct correlation between maximum lifespan and oxidative damage to mtDNA in heart & brain. There was a 4-fold difference in levels of oxidative damage and a 13-fold difference in longevity, supportive of the idea that mtDNA oxidative damage is not the only cause of aging.^[20] The heart and lungs, from an older edition of Grays Anatomy. ... In cell biology, a mitochondrion is an organelle found in the cells of most eukaryotes. ... Species 50 species; see text *Several subfamilies of Muroids include animals called rats. ... Pigeon redirects here. ... In chemistry free radicals are uncharged atomic or molecular species with unpaired electrons or an otherwise open shell configuration. ... Santorio Santorio (1561-1636) in his steelyard balance, from Ars de statica medecina, first published 1614 Metabolism (from μεταβολισμος(metavallo), the Greek word for change), in the most general sense, is the ingestion and breakdown of complex compounds, coupled... Cardiac output is the volume of blood being pumped by the heart, in particular a ventricle in a minute. ... The Electron Transport Chain. ... A representation of the 3D structure of myoglobin, showing coloured alpha helices. ... The Electron Transport Chain. ... HeLa cells stained for DNA with the Blue Hoechst dye. ... The Electron Transport Chain. ... For other uses, see Bird (disambiguation). ... In biology the genome of an organism is the whole hereditary information of an organism that is encoded in the DNA (or, for some viruses, RNA). ... This article is about the animal. ... Genera Mesocricetus Phodopus Cricetus Cricetulus Allocricetulus Cansumys Tscherskia Hamsters are rodents belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae. ... Species 50 species; see text *Several subfamilies of Muroids include animals called rats. ... This article is about the species Cavia porcellus. ... For other uses, see Rabbit (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Pig (disambiguation). ... COW is an acronym for a number of things: Can of worms The COW programming language, an esoteric programming language. ... Lewis electron configuration of superoxide. ... R-phrases , , , , S-phrases , , , ,, , , , Flash point Non-flammable Related Compounds Related compounds Water Ozone Hydrazine Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 Â°C, 100 kPa) Infobox disclaimer and references Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a very pale blue liquid which appears colourless in... The heart and lungs, from an older edition of Grays Anatomy. ... The kidneys are organs that filter wastes (such as urea) from the blood and excrete them, along with water, as urine. ... Maximum life span is a measure of the maximum number of years a member of a group has been observed to survive. ... Families 15, See classification A primate is any member of the biological order Primates, the group that contains all the species commonly related to the lemurs, monkeys, and apes, with the latter category including humans. ... Subclasses & Infraclasses Subclass â€ Allotheria* Subclass Prototheria Subclass Theria Infraclass â€ Trituberculata Infraclass Metatheria Infraclass Eutheria Mammals (class Mammalia) are warm-blooded, vertebrate animals characterized by the presence of sweat glands, including those that produce milk, and by the presence of: hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex... Illustration of a redox reaction Redox (shorthand for oxidation/reduction reaction) describes all chemical reactions in which atoms have their oxidation number (oxidation state) changed. ... Longevity is a term that generally refers to long life or great duration of life.[1] Reflections on longevity have usually gone beyond acknowledging the basic shortness of human life and have included thinking about methods to extend life. ... It has been suggested that Longevity genes be merged into this article or section. ...

The segmental progerias ("accelerated aging" diseases) are part of the evidence that a weak link in extending lifespan is DNA repair -- along with the fact that DNA repair capability correlates with maximum lifespan in mammals.^[21] There is much that might be done to improve DNA repair both in the nucleus and in the mitochondria. We could study organisms like the bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans^[22] and adapt their enzymes to our cells. Thus, improved DNA repair and reduced free radical production (by Complex I proteins taken from birds) may be much more cost effective strategies than SENS for reducing aging-damage, extending maximum lifespan and preventing cancer. The term Progeria narrowly refers to Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria syndrome, but the term is also used more generally to describe any of the so-called accelerated aging diseases. The word progeria is derived from the Greek for prematurely old. Because the accelerated aging diseases display different aspects of aging, but... It has been suggested that Longevity genes be merged into this article or section. ... This article is about the medical term. ... DNA damage resulting in multiple broken chromosomes DNA repair refers to a collection of processes by which a cell identifies and corrects damage to the DNA molecules that encode its genome. ... Maximum life span is a measure of the maximum number of years a member of a group has been observed to survive. ... Subclasses & Infraclasses Subclass â€ Allotheria* Subclass Prototheria Subclass Theria Infraclass â€ Trituberculata Infraclass Metatheria Infraclass Eutheria Mammals (class Mammalia) are warm-blooded, vertebrate animals characterized by the presence of sweat glands, including those that produce milk, and by the presence of: hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex... In cell biology, a mitochondrion is an organelle found in the cells of most eukaryotes. ... Phyla/Divisions Actinobacteria Aquificae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chlamydiae/Verrucomicrobia Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus-Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Nitrospirae Omnibacteria Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Bacteria (singular, bacterium) are a major group of living organisms. ... Binomial name Brooks & Murray, 1981 Deinococcus radiodurans (strange berry that withstands radiation, formerly called Micrococcus radiodurans) is an extremophilic bacterium, and is the most radioresistant organism known. ... Ribbon diagram of the enzyme TIM, surrounded by the space-filling model of the protein. ... In chemistry, radicals (often referred to as free radicals) are atomic or molecular species with unpaired electrons on an otherwise open shell configuration. ... The Electron Transport Chain. ... For other uses, see Bird (disambiguation). ... Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these to spread, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion, or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis (where cancer cells are transported through the bloodstream or lymphatic system). ...

Cryonics

Although cryonics is not current science, many scientists support the idea based on their expectations of the capabilities of future science.^[23] No mammal has been cryopreserved and brought back to life. Nonetheless, vitrification has made remarkable strides in eliminating freezing damage and maintaining viability of cryopreserved tissues, including functional kidneys. Life extensionists compare cryopreservation skeptics with the cloning skeptics of the recent past. Journalists routinely interview scientists who dismiss the possibilities of the field but whose grasp of the subject is questioned by life extensionists. The phrase most often quoted is that "believing cryonics could reanimate somebody who has been frozen is like believing you can turn a hamburger back into a cow.".^[24] Some cryonics enthusiasts believe that this transformation will be "no problem" for nanotechnology. Not to be confused with cryogenics. ... When plotted on a logarithmic graph, 15 separate lists of paradigm shifts for key events in human history show an exponential trend. ... Subclasses & Infraclasses Subclass â€ Allotheria* Subclass Prototheria Subclass Theria Infraclass â€ Trituberculata Infraclass Metatheria Infraclass Eutheria Mammals (class Mammalia) are warm-blooded, vertebrate animals characterized by the presence of sweat glands, including those that produce milk, and by the presence of: hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex... A vitrification experiment for the study of nuclear waste disposal at Pacific Northwest National Labs Vitrification is a process of converting a material into a glass-like amorphous solid which is free of any crystalline structure, either by the quick removal or addition of heat, or by mixing with an... In physics and chemistry, freezing is the process whereby a liquid turns to a solid. ... Cryopreservation of plant shoots. ... Biological tissue is a collection of interconnected cells that perform a similar function within an organism. ... The kidneys are organs that filter wastes (such as urea) from the blood and excrete them, along with water, as urine. ... Buckminsterfullerene C60, also known as the buckyball, is the simplest of the carbon structures known as fullerenes. ...

Mind uploading

There is no scientific understanding that explains the detailed functioning of the human consciousness. A "reading" of the "contents" of a human mind is thus a purely speculative hypothesis. However, a key objection, if science were able to read and transfer the mind's contents, and a model of a human mind was then actually moved to a computer, would the personal identity of that human be retained? And what would be the status of personal identity after duplication? This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

A possible solution to the first objection is to interface biological humans brains with computer parts, and the gradual replacement of biological components with mechanical ones - functionally no different to the biological renewal of synapses. The philosophical Ship of Theseus enigma still remains with this solution. Illustration of the major elements in a prototypical synapse. ... The Ship of Theseus is a paradox also known as Theseus paradox. ...

The difficulty in seeing mind uploading as a solution is along the same lines of mind cloning and transporter duality paradox. The situation is contemplated where the mind is uploaded, yet the original mind remains. In this case, the person will still be themselves, and the clone will be alien to them, and vice versa. The biological mind would view itself as the original, but would die. The computer mind would view itself as original yet artificial. If the clone is a separate individual, then the consciousness of the original would still die. Even in the case where there is never a clone (killing the original upon mind uploading, or the gradual replacement of biological components) while the distinction would be less apparent, it would still be applicable in some regards. USS Enterprise-Ds transporter A transporter is a fictional teleportation machine used in the Star Trek universe. ...

Ethics and politics of life extension

It is commonly claimed that life extension would destroy the planet with overpopulation. Leon Kass (chairman of the US President's Council on Bioethics from 2001 to 2005) has exemplified the anti-life extension view^[25]. He bluntly states his hostility to life extension with the words: Map of countries by population density (See List of countries by population density. ... Leon Kass Leon Kass is the Addie Clark Harding Professor in the Committee on Social Thought and the College at the University of Chicago (currently on leave). ... A controversial entity, created by George W. Bush, whose purpose is to regulate (or, at least, tell the president how he ought to regulate) biotechnology and biomedical research. ...

Some life extensionists perceive a lack of respect for individual choice in these words. This view would characterize Kass and others as seeking to use government power to ensure that no one's life is extended regardless of their wishes:

In retort to Leon Kass's stance, transhumanist philosopher Nick Bostrom published an article titled "The Fable of the Dragon-Tyrant",^[27] in which death is metaphorically personified as a monstrous dragon who demands horrific human sacrifices upon a mountain. A debate rages in the kingdom in the valley below between those who believe the dragon is a fact of life because he has existed for longer than any one can remember despite innumerable attempts to kill him, and those who believe the dragon is merely flesh and blood and that the kingdom has advanced to the point where a concerted effort may be mounted against him. In the end, the dragon-tyrant is killed by a ballistic missile launched from the valley, but not before a billion people die unnecessarily due to the initial fatalism and consequent inaction. Transhumanism is an emergent school of speculative philosophy analysing or favouring the use of science and technology, especially neurotechnology, biotechnology, and nanotechnology, to overcome human limitations and improve the human condition. ... A philosopher is a person who thinks deeply regarding people, society, the world, and/or the universe. ... Nick Bostrom (Boström in the original Swedish) is a philosopher at the University of Oxford, and known for his work on the anthropic principle. ... Diagram of V-2, the first ballistic missile. ...

Anti-aging nutritional supplementation and medicine

Politics relevant to the substances of life extension pertain mostly to communications and availability. In the United States, the claims which can be made on food and drug product labels are strictly regulated. Meanwhile, freedom of speech guaranteed by the First Amendment currently only protects the right of 3rd-party publishers to print books, newsletters, websites, etc. on every aspect of these substances, including opinions, speculations, etc. Many manufacturers and suppliers also provide publications, but because they are also marketing the substances, they are subject to the monitoring and enforcement efforts of the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) which has jurisdiction over false claims made by marketers in public media. What constitutes the difference between truthful and false claims is hotly debated and is a central controversy in this arena. This article is about the general concept. ... The first ten Amendments to the U.S. Constitution make up the Bill of Rights. ... | logo_caption = | seal = US-FederalTradeCommission-Seal. ...

Cloning and Stem Cell Research

The use of human stem cells, particularly embryonic stem cells is controversial and contentious. Opponents' objections generally are based on interpretations of religious teachings and ideas about the sanctity of life. However, proponents of stem cell research point out that cells are routinely formed and destroyed in a variety of contexts. Mouse embryonic stem cells. ... Mouse embryonic stem cells. ...

Similarly, therapeutic cloning is a way to generate cells, body parts, or in theory even whole bodies (generally referred to as reproductive cloning) genetically identical to a prospective patient. The controversies over cloning are similar to those over embryonic stem cell research, except general public opinion in most countries stands in even greater opposition to reproductive cloning. However, some proponents of therapeutic cloning argue that production of a never-conscious cloned soma might be the most successful and compassionate form of therapeutic cloning. Blastocyst. ... Reproductive cloning is a form of artificial reproduction technique based on cloning. ... Human embryonic stem cell colony. ... Reproductive cloning is a form of artificial reproduction technique based on cloning. ...

SENS (Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence)

In February 2005, Technology Review, which is owned by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, published an article by Sherwin Nuland, a Professor of Clinical Surgery at Yale University and the author of "How We Die" (ISBN 0-679-74244-1), that drew a skeptical portrait of Aubrey de Grey.^[28] While admiring de Grey's intelligence, Nuland concluded that he "would surely destroy us in attempting to preserve us" because living for such long periods would undermine what it means to be human. The article made no attempt to address the science of SENS, and this omission was severely criticized by many readers. In response, Jason Pontin (the magazine's editor) has offered $10,000 to any gerontologist who can convince an independent review panel that de Grey's ideas about radical life-extension have no merit. De Grey's Methuselah Foundation matched the $10,000, making the prize for debunking him $20,000. The De Grey Technology Review controversy is a debate over the validity of the ideas of self-styled theoretical biogerontologist Aubrey de Grey, published in MITs Technology Review. ... Technology Review is an innovation and technology magazine affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. ... â€œMITâ€ redirects here. ... Sherwin Nuland (born December 1930) is an American surgeon who teaches bioethics and medicine at the Yale University School of Medicine, where he obtained his M.D. degree. ... â€œYaleâ€ redirects here. ... Aubrey David Nicholas Jasper de Grey, Ph. ... Engineered negligible senescence refers to an engineered prevention or reversal of cellular aging (referred to as senescence in biology). ... Jason pontin is an absolute ledgend who plays for whitehawk under 16s and is a defender. ... The Methuselah Mouse Prize or Mprize is a growing $3. ...

In March, of 2006, Technology Review announced that it had chosen a panel of judges for the Challenge. On July 11, 2006, Technology Review published the results of the SENS Challenge. In the end, no one won the $20,000 prize. The judges felt that no submission met the criterion of the challenge and disproved SENS, although they unanimously agreed that one submission, by Preston Estep and his colleagues, was the most eloquent. In publishing the results, Technology Review also announced that it would make a $10,000 payment to Estep et al. in recognition of what the publication called their "careful scholarship." Although Estep et al. voiced their disapproval in a subsequent article, reiterating that they did agree with the goal of human life extension but considered that de Grey's approach was clearly pseudoscientific and that the panel of judges were mistaken in not admitting this (a position which Dr. de Grey characterised as “protest at the Challenge judges' failure to see SENS their way”). Estep et al. donated the entirety of the $10,000 to the American Federation for Aging Research. Preston W. Estep III (also known as Pete Estep) is an American geneticist and evolutionary biologist. ... // The American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) is a private, nonprofit, 501(c)3, organization whose mission is to support biomedical research on aging. ...

Cryonics

As a life extension practice, cryonics has been under attack for many of the same reasons as the other life extension practices. Additionally, however, some people appear to be aesthetically revolted by the practice of cryopreserving "dead bodies" and especially of cryopreserving the head ("neuropreservation"). (The term "neuropreservation" implies just the brain, but in fact the entire head is cryopreserved, so the word is a slight misnomer.) Not to be confused with cryogenics. ... Cryopreservation of plant shoots. ... Neuropreservation is cryopreservation of the human brain with the intention of future resuscitation and regrowth of a healthy body around the brain. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Almost from the beginning the Society for Cryobiology has attacked cryonics as being "fraud" and "quackery" and has banned cryonicists from being members of the Society. There are cryonicists who are members, but they are necessarily discreet about their affiliations. Most of the members of the Society have also made it clear that they have non-scientific grounds for their hostility, including the usual anti-life extension arguments as well as aesthetic arguments. Cryobiology is the study of living organisms, organs, biological tissues or biological cells at low temperatures. ...

As a result of a media circus surrounding following a 2003 Sports Illustrated article claiming that Alcor had mishandled the body of baseball super-star Ted Williams,^[29]^[30]^[31] a bill was passed in 2004 by the Arizona House of Representatives to place cryonics and cryonics procedures under the regulation of the state funeral board. In its original form, the law would have prevented Alcor's use of the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act. The bill was withdrawn while under consideration in the Arizona Senate.^[32] Although the Cryonics Institute (CI) was not responsible for Ted Williams, the media attention resulted in CI being placed under a "Cease and Desist" order by the State of Michigan for six months. Finally the Michigan government decided to regulate CI as a cemetery. Media circus is a pejorative description of the media. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The first issue of Sports Illustrated, August 16, 1954, showing Milwaukee Braves star Eddie Mathews at bat in Milwaukee County Stadium. ... This bigfoot Dewar is custom-designed to contain four wholebody patients and six neuropatients immersed in liquid nitrogen at âˆ’196 degrees Celsius. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This bigfoot Dewar is custom-designed to contain four wholebody patients and six neuropatients immersed in liquid nitrogen at âˆ’196 degrees Celsius. ... The Uniform Anatomical Gift Act is one of the uniform acts that attempt to harmonize the law in force in the fifty U.S. states. ... Cryonics Institute main facility in Clinton Township, Michigan The Cryonics Institute (CI) is a non-profit provider of cryonics services located in Clinton Township, Michigan. ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Largest metro area Metro Detroit Area Ranked 11th - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 kmÂ²) - Width 239 miles (385 km) - Length 491 miles (790 km) - % water 41. ... Castle Ashby Graveyard Northamptonshire A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. ...

There are many people who have negative feelings about cryonics in general, and Alcor in particular. The Ted Williams affair has become a focus of such people. In many cases, cryonics was less an issue than the perception that the final wishes of Williams had not been respected and that Williams had not been treated with dignity. Theodore Samuel Williams (August 30, 1918 â€“ July 5, 2002), best known as Ted Williams, nicknamed The Kid, the Splendid Splinter, Teddy Ballgame and The Thumper, was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball. ...

Contents

Aging

Strategies of life extension

Anti-aging nutritional supplementation and medicine

Calorie restriction

Chemical and genetic interventions in animal models

Cloning and body part replacement

Cryonics

SENS (Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence)

Suspended animation

Mind uploading

History of life extension and the life extension movement

Scientific controversy about life extension

Anti-aging nutritional supplementation and medicine

Calorie restriction

SENS (Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence)

Cryonics

Mind uploading

Ethics and politics of life extension

Anti-aging nutritional supplementation and medicine

Cloning and Stem Cell Research

SENS (Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence)

Cryonics

See also

Notes

References

External links

Contents

Aging GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Strategies of life extension

Anti-aging nutritional supplementation and medicine

Calorie restriction

Chemical and genetic interventions in animal models

Cloning and body part replacement

Cryonics

SENS (Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence)

Suspended animation

Mind uploading

History of life extension and the life extension movement

Scientific controversy about life extension

Anti-aging nutritional supplementation and medicine

Calorie restriction

SENS (Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence)

Cryonics

Mind uploading

Ethics and politics of life extension

Anti-aging nutritional supplementation and medicine

Cloning and Stem Cell Research

SENS (Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence)

Cryonics

See also

Notes

References

External links

Aging