| From: BenMM | 11/04/2002
16:09:50 |
| Subject: Fountain of Youth | post id:
7663 |
| If embryonic stem cell research
did continue with results far outweighing anything within our scope today,
could we not do away with the notion of death itself. Could we not
continually regenerate organs and tissue through transplant or other
means?????? | |
| From: tritium ® | 11/04/2002
16:14:17 |
| Subject: re: Fountain of Youth | post id:
7677 |
| I think there is a problem with
that idea because of a clock that exists in our cells. Something to do
with the ends of our strands of DNA slowly getting smaller over time and
eventaully the DNA getting destroyed as well... and even stem cells still
present in our bodies experience this... but maybe there could be some way
of getting around this problem... then there is the fact that over the years we get so many pollutants inside our bodies that the body can't get rid off, that if nothing else, this will kill us... | |
| From: Saffie ® | 11/04/2002
16:15:05 |
| Subject: re: Fountain of Youth | post id:
7678 |
| Genetic split
ends. | |
| From: Woodie ® | 11/04/2002
16:16:21 |
| Subject: re: Fountain of Youth | post id:
7683 |
| "The Brain that Wouldn't Die"
starring Virginia Leith and Jason Evers - 1959 Recommemded viewing. | |
| From: Russell C | 11/04/2002
16:29:16 |
| Subject: re: Fountain of Youth | post id:
7725 |
| there is a process called
apoptosis which is the fancy name for programmed cell death or PCD.
basically when the cell has completed its cycle it enters this PCR phase
where it dies off. Whilst at uni (albeit a few years ago) this was a huge
area of research because if you find a way of blocking the PCD,
theretically the cells could live forever.
http://www.ultranet.com/~jkimball/BiologyPages/A/Apoptosis.html this is a
pretty good link if your interested, hope this helps, R #;)> | |
| From: J.F. ® | 11/04/2002
19:54:51 |
| Subject: re: Fountain of Youth | post id:
7911 |
| if you find a
way of blocking the PCD, theretically the cells could live
forever. That's one of the big problems with cancerous cells; they live forever. I think the normal process is: cell's DNA mutates; cell begins to act strangely. cell self - destructs by apoptosis In cancer, I think that one of the early changes in the cell blocks apoptosis so when it "should" die, it does not. It continues to grow + divide out of control. I think that if we extend lifespan by removing some causes of death eg by adding stem cells to replace organs that begin to fail, we will still have trouble with cancers arising due to somatic mutations. Also, our mitochondria accululate mutations over the decades. We contain many components + I do not think all will be replacable. | |
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