人類不可能長生不老
自從古代, 人類一直希望可以於長生不老. 不過到現在還沒有”研究”出這種妙藥. 其實有很多關於長生不老的故事….. 話說以前有個瘋狂女人, 把很多年輕少女殺了之後, 用她們的血洗澡, 想要長生不老, 那是多麼的殘忍啊! 也有一個說法是當吸血鬼的話就可以永生. 唉…. 全部聽起來都 unethical :S 然後有道教的; 以長生不老為仙人的標誌. 秦朝時, 有方士徐福為秦始皇求長生不老藥, 攜童男童女童各500, 出海尋找蓬萊, 瀛洲諸仙山上的仙人. 結果不知所踪. 後道教中又有專門煉丹服藥的流派, 也是為了長生不老 (道教資料自Wikipedia).
搞不懂為什麼人會想要長生不老. 不會很累嗎? 經過那麼久的時間, 人類才慢慢開始接受不可能長生不老這個 fact.
可是, 現代科學發達, 人類又開始對長生不老感到興趣. 有些研究 stem cells 的科學家又開始找長生不老的方法. 真悲哀啊… ~”~ 我覺得, 要永生是不能單靠物質科學的.
(from ninemsn.com.au)
Geneticists slams anti-ageing movement
Wednesday Aug 9 15:38 AEST
Humans will never live forever so they should really stop trying.
That’s the warning from outspoken Australian geneticist Robin Holliday, who has told an international medical conference that the anti-ageing medicine movement is ridiculous.
Dr Holliday, from the Australian Academy of Science, has called on scientists from the movement to stop their “extravagant” claims that people can one day live for hundreds of years, with biotechnology curing all age-related disease.
“This is complete nonsense, breathtakingly arrogant and breathtakingly ignorant,” the scientist told the International Congress of Human Genetics in Brisbane on Wednesday.
“To extend human lifespan you would need to completely re-engineer the body, which took evolution millions of years to create, and that would result in a completely different being.”
He said mammals have a limited natural life span that is unlikely to change.
The best chance of extending life is by tackling age-related disease and understanding more about body maintenance, not biotechnology.
“The question is not why we age but why do we last as long as we do?”
Dr Holliday said human hearts and bones can only stand up to so much wear and tear because they contain cells that can not divide and repair themselves.
To live forever, people would need two vascular systems so one could be shut off while the other is repaired.
Dr Holliday explained that the body uses it energy in three areas – essential metabolic functions, reproduction and maintenance – and lifespan depends on a delicate balance between the need to reproduce and the need to maintain.
Mammals that reproduce quickly, like rodents, tend to put less energy into the maintenance of their bodies.
On the other hand, organisms that reproduce slowly with fewer offspring, like humans, put more resources into maintenance and therefore live longer.
“Ageing, in my opinion, is due to a failure of maintenance mechanisms, of which there are 15 to 20, that include repairing damaged DNA, defence against free radical damage and removal of proteins,” he said.
Dr Holliday said there are some strategies that can extend life, like restricting calorie intake, but this has the side effect of causing sterility.
A lower metabolic rate and body temperature or increased sleep can also contribute to longer life spans, but only slightly.
The only way to significantly extend a lifetime is through gene mutations over millions of years that help the species adapt to a changing environment.
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