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No technology has ever extended life. The so-called gains in life expectancy have only come about by reducing the causes of early mortality and slowing down the
by shaurz 11y ago
No technology has ever extended life. The so-called gains in life expectancy have only come about by reducing the causes of early mortality and slowing down the diseases of ageing.
- paulddraper 11y agoI don't see the difference.
- habitue 11y agoI'm not the commenter you're replying to, but maybe they meant that we've only reduced early causes of death like disease etc, but not done anything to affect our internal biological processes that cause aging. As an example, reducing skin cancer by staying out of the sun keeps you from prematurely aging, but it doesn't stop your hair from turning white and your wrinkles from forming.
- paulddraper 11y agoHeart disease, obesity, and arthritis are sometimes reversible, partially thanks to better medical care. Oh, and cancer.
- sammydavis 11y agoDrugs that change our metabolism can affect how much damage something does to your body, and you die because your body systems fail or degrade. So fixing some causes and symptoms should be able to increase your possible lifespan. Just like we can increase the lifespan of some simple animals, we could increase our lifespan through physical means. There's no magic spirit inside you that can only last 120 years, as far as anyone knows.
- snowwrestler 11y agoToday you can be healthier at 1, 20, 40, 60, and 80 than you could have been 100 years ago. However, just like 100 years ago, you will almost certainly be dead by age 100. For certain by 120.