Timothy Birdnow

Interesting.

Scientists Say They Gene Hacked Mice to Double Remaining Lifespan
futurism.com

Color me skeptical.

Now, if they can drastically increase the lifespan of mice it would probably be possible to do so to human beings as well. But while mice only live between 2 and 7 years, depending on  the species. Doubling that isn't exactly a problem. But what of doubling human life-spans?

Cancer, I suspect. We all get cancer if we live long enough. And a drug that increases our lifespan may well increase our tendency to cancer.

Now, different species live different life spans. The Bowhead whale, for example, can live up to 200 years. But it lives in water where gravity doesn't tug at it so much, and it has a stable vegetarian diet, and no hands. There are tortoises that live 150 years, too.

Most of the species that live longer than Man are ocean bound, at least some of the time.

As for land mammals, Asian elephants live up to 86 years, putting them about where we are in terms of lifespan.

The human lifespan is, of course, greatly extended by good nutrition, medical care, and the other blessings of civilization.

My point?  We live about as long as any creature that is comparable to us. It may well be that extending that life any more is not feasible, or if it is not exactly optimal; we may live longer but at what cost?  Is life in a care facility worth the extra years? Is chronic pain worth prolonged life?

Perhaps to some.

It becomes a balance between quality and quantity. After a certain point extra life becomes a curse.

And there is another point to ponder here; what of diseases?

As we age our immune systems weaken. Viruses and bacteria mutate and attack those with weakened immune systems. With large swaths of the populace aging beyond their years how many more opportunities will this present to diseases to establish themselves in the human population?

The genetic manipulation may well trigger new diseases. Just look at what is happening with the Covid vaccine now.

The more we tinker with genetics and our core "programming" the more risk we entail. It's not wise to pick apart the basic blueprints.

Of course this is a long way from an actual life-extending medicine, what S-F writer Larry Niven called Boosterspice. I suspect such a drug is a long way off. And if it isn't there will still be social issues involved, ones that would wreck the whole economic world order and upset many of the plans of the Malthusian elites. Oh, they'll want it for themselves, but not for the hoi polloi. And they won't be able to keep it from the hoi polloi easily; it would result in revolution and chaos. A life-extending drug could not be allowed to see the light of day. It would mean more people, and more retirees on pensions. It would mean ever increasing strain on the medical system. It would mean more mouths to feed. And it would mean many more dissatisfied people. Almost all medical science would become geriatric science.

The Ruling Class would not be able to allow that. But they would want it for themselves. It would present a metaphysical crisis.

On the other hand, if they could control it and who gets it they would have a powerful tool to dominate society.

Imagine if they could dangle that carrot in front of those who could not afford to buy it. And threaten those same people with it's denial if they didn't toe the line.

Science Fiction writer Isaac Asimov postulated such a condition. Due to the high population on Earth life extending techniques were banned, and those who wanted to increase their life-spans settled worlds around nearby stars. The result was a split in humanity between the Spacers and the Earth. The Spacers also had robots, something banned on Earth (at least in cities) because they took jobs. The Spacers dominated the Earth for a long time, until Earth sent out their own colonies and settled. As they bred faster than the spoiled Spacers they quickly came to dominate and the Spacer culture faded away. Longevity had a lot to do with it; the Spacers wouldn't dare risk so long a life on risky ventures. And robots made them too comfortable.

At any rate, this is a fascinating topic to delve into.

In the end I suspect no amount of life will ever be enough for us. I suspect a three, four hundred year life will still seem to have passed like a dream in the end. And we'll put off doing things we should have done because "there's plenty of time".

It's not about quantity, but about quality.

And the world will probably stagnate as a result of ossification of all the sciences and other such institutions as the old codgers will refuse to leave their posts. It will take forever to move up. And old ideas will remain in place whether they serve any useful purpose or not.

Final thought; is long life on this Earth even a blessing?  If you believe in God and a Heaven it's a form of Purgatory instead of a blessing. There comes a time to move on. Living beyond that time is a miserable thing.

Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at 10:44 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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