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Skip next from the beginning of life to the end. Given the rate of progress in biological knowledge over the past century, there is no reason to assume that the problem of aging will remain insoluble. Since the payoff is not only enormously large but goes most immediately to the currently old, some of whom are also rich and powerful, if it can be solved it is likely that it will be.

Source: http://patrifriedman.com/prose-others/fi/commented/Future_Imperfect.html#Skip_next_from_the_beginning_of_life_to_the_end_Gi

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[Sat Mar 6 00:07:26 PST 2004-65] Leopold (NOSPAMleopold_the_cat@yahoo.com.NOSPAM):
Since our genome does not code for a long life span, it would have to be changed in (ultimately) every cell. Our current life sciences are nowhere near computing and affecting these changes. If we do not die out we will get there but it will take a lot of effort. Wait a minute - this is a way to Singularity - a tailorable on as-needed basis (possibly by AI) human body and mind.
[Sat Nov 13 07:15:52 EST 2004-317] Abe Heward (NOSPAMclimate6@cox.net.NOSPAM):
Speaking as someone who is near to those with a large stake (and not insignificant resources) in studying the process of aging and its reversal, what appears to be happening lately is that the research is at a stage where all we're really learning is how much we don't yet know. I submit that, given that, it's a bit inaccurate to say that there is "no reason" to assume that it is an insoluble problem. Unfortunately we don't know enough yet to really say such a thing. Speak to Dr. Chris Heward at Kronos Laboratories (John Sperling's anti-aging pet project) if you'd like a more detailed perspective on this.
[Sun Nov 14 19:48:50 EST 2004-318] Ray Van De Walker (NOSPAMrgvandewalker@yahoo.com.NOSPAM):
Completely rebuilding a body is an increasingly realistic prospect. Many companies now are doing serious short-term investments in tissue engineering to develop internal organs to cure single-organ chronic diseases: Pancreas for childhood diabetes, livers, hearts, teeth (which, by the way, transplant with no immune response) etc. Skin has been commercially available for more than ten years, and corneas and joints have already been done in the lab. Two great barriers previously prevented this technology: The hayflick limit on the reproduction of mamalian cells, overcome by Geron corporation's telomere extension technologies in 1998, and construction of microstructures for blood supplies, and in 2003 a group of tissue engineers found a way to use inkjet technology to print vascular cells into gel, and found that the cells fused into a small blood vessel.

Also check out Aubrey de Grey's web site on "Engineered Negligible Senescence." We could practically use Dr. de Grey's proposed technologies to construct autologous stem cells that age very slowly, and over time have them replace all of our natural cells. We halt reproduction of natural cells, perhaps by interfering with natural telemoeric extension, seed with engineered stem cells, wait several years, then perhaps weed with selective poisons. Perhaps repeat several times, at spacings of a decade or so.
[Sun Nov 14 20:34:56 EST 2004-318] Ray Van De Walker (NOSPAMrgvandewalker@yahoo.com.NOSPAM):
I found the reference to the successful organ printing experiment:
http://www.missouri.edu/~forglab/organprint.pdf
[Tue Jun 13 10:04:49 PDT 2006-163] Damien (NOSPAMblogger@mindstalk.net.NOSPAM):
Or the extreme (short of uploading) case of organ replacement: full cyborging, aka replacing most of the body with portable artificial life support. Keep the brain flush with glucose and oxygen, wire it up to sensorimotor systems, keep it isolated from germs... a lot more complicated than what I'm describing, I'm sure, but it is another avenue of attack, alongside fixing the body in place or replacing organs piece by piece.

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