12.13.11
Thoon we will lith forether
Here’s a network news TV short that has to be seen to believed.
“Some scientists believe we can live forever …” exclaims one the hosts. That means, for the purposes of the story, two scientists. One of whom speaks with a lisp, perhaps because his ZZ Top-length beard is getting tangled up in his lips and … teef. Sadly, messing up the perception Britishes don’t suffer fools gladly like Americans.
Cue the lecture room with a PowerPoint presentation shot. (Alternatively, some very wealthy libertarian computer programmers musing on how old age could be programmed away with just the right combination of algorithms and megadose pill-taking.)
“The main reason I want to live forever is because it’s fun to be alive,” says another scientist, running with his older Dad in the desert.
Shouldn’t the fellow be in the lab working on lengthening those telomeres? The clock’s ticking.
“There are some doubters,” says NBC newsperson Michelle Kosinski.
“Research is in the early stages … and there’s not a lot of funding,” she adds, just before the break for a commercial.
Floormaster Squeeze said,
December 14, 2011 at 7:28 am
This is not an area of expertise for me but there was an pretty smart and famous academic a few years ago that pretty convincingly put forward the case that we may not be able to live much longer than we currently do (although we could live better in that time range). I googled the Hayflick limit and I think it is related but more.
I remember the gist of the argument being that most of the “wow” quotes about extended aging are some combination of wishful thinking, one-sided research, and bad extrapolation from stats and animals. As a stats guy the statistical stuff made sense (much of the “projections” of longer life come from silly “straight line” estimates from the past).
George Smith said,
December 14, 2011 at 8:06 am
It was all pretty rubbish on tv. Pictures of mice and the joke has always been you can do just about anything with a mouse. Some ludicrous line about a “printer that makes blood vessels”, apparently thinking this viral
story for idiot-geeks means something.
Chuck said,
December 15, 2011 at 4:58 pm
As I creep ever-closer to the great silence, I’m puzzled why anyone would want to live forever. Probably it’s those damned music industry executives, thinking about how much more a “life plus 70” copyright term would mean in filthy lucre when “life” is 500.
After all, it isn’t as if I’d grow more brain cells.