Is Immortality possible using Science?
The lifespan of human beings has remarkably increased in the last 50 years, with the improvement in the medical field due to scientific and technological advancements.
But is there an upper limit for this? How close are we to attaining immortality?
There are many big hurdles in our way and scientists & biologists from all over the world are trying to figure this out.
Companies like ALCOR Life Extension Foundation have started preparing themselves for this new epoch of the medical field. As of August 31, 2019, ALCOR had 1,731 members, including 172 who have died and whose corpses have been subject to cryonic processes. 96 bodies had only their head preserved. Alcor also applies its cryonic process to the bodies of pets. As of February 13, 2009, there are 33 animal bodies preserved.
Mind-blowing right? We are just a few steps ahead in creating a fascinating page in human history.
Here are a few ideas which appear like a plot for a good sci-fi story but at the same time are also the methods that futurists and scientists debating and experimenting on.
MIND UPLOADING
Your MEMORY is your IDENTITY. If your memories are stored in a brain-like device and if it is stimulated with artificial organs connected to it, it can work as you and think like you. The ARTIFICIAL YOU can be formed.
BECOMING BABY AGAIN
Some organisms like Turritopsis Dohrnii jellyfish are known to reverse back their aging process. Learning the functioning of these creatures can open doors to reverse back aging in humans.
REPAIRING TELOMERES
The reason for aging is the death of cells. The telomeres present in the DNA get shorter and shorter, each time after cell division. When these telomeres are lost, the cells lose their ability to divide further, and they die. Repairing these telomeres can cure aging and make your cells divide endlessly.
BRAIN TRANSPLANT & CLONING
Think of cloning you and transplanting your brain from your body to the cloned body without any data loss. It is like creating a new body for YOU.
PROTEIN PILLS
Another reason for aging is the increase in the presence of many unwanted cells inside our bodies. When a cell is nearing death or when its functioning is damaged (when it becomes unwanted), it is ordered by certain cell proteins to die or are repaired by certain types of proteins like NAD+. The number of these proteins reduces as we age which in turn increases the presence of unwanted cells inside our body.
When these proteins were artificially synthesized and given to mice, the lifespan of the mice was found to have increased drastically. Similar pills can also be tested on human beings.
All we can say now is that there is some interesting and fascinating research going into this field of science. All we can do now is to wait with patience and contribute if can, to the scientific community.
The Age of Immortality is Coming
