Column: Just How Old Is ‘Old Age’ in The Future? – Southern Pines Pilot
Posted: November 8, 2020 at 2:58 am
Play like you have this decision to make: Worldwide, in developed nations, people max out on average at 80 years. If you could have your life extended 40 years beyond that, would you go for it? Simply answer yes or no, please.
Genesis 6:3 might help. My spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal, it quotes the Lord. Their days will be a hundred and twenty years. Some scientists agree that 120 is about our limit.
Some doubt there is a life limit. So, lets add a scenario: What if you could choose to live forever? You go for that?
Is either 120 or immortality even possible? Answers: yes and maybe, well see.
Its yes because Jeanne Calment of Arles, France, lived to a now verified 122 years and 164 days. Jeanne stopped smoking at 117, but never gave up her nightly port wine. She took up fencing at 80 and bicycled into her 100s. When asked on her 120th birthday what she expected from the future, she said, I expect a short one. Jeanne was born in 1875 and died in 1997.
Many scientists use Calments age as sort of a doable goal for extending life. According to Woody Allen, You can live to be 100 if you give up all the things that make you want to live to be 100. But 100 aint 120. And Woodys quip doesnt answer whether we can end The End for humans. Could other species shed light?
Some species might suggest there is no life-limit. Tortoises live to 255; an invertebrate Quahog clam clocked in at 507; Greenland shark, 512; and one bristlecone pine dubbed the Methuselah, is 4,852 years old. But according to Aging Research Reviews as reported in National Geographic, the winner is a deep-sea sponge. Age: at least 11,000 years.
So, whats up? Human age is up. This year, the United Nations expects the number of centenarians, worldwide, to exceed 573,000. For perspective, eight years ago, the United Nations estimated that there were only 316,600 living centenarians worldwide.
But beyond 100, Mother Nature hits the brakes. The number of supercentenarians, those making it into the 110 club, though not known for sure, is estimated to be about 600, worldwide.
What is known is that as of Oct. 21, there were 50 supercentenarians (18 from the U.S. and 11 from Japan; 90 percent female.) The aging curve changes between 100 and 110.
According to British actuary Benjamin Gompertzs predictions, the mortality rate for adult humans roughly doubles every additional eight years. However likely you are to die in 2020, youll be twice as likely in 2028, four times as likely in 2036. The death curve goes up like that, sharply till 100.
So, while reaching 100 is still unlikely at present, if you do reach it, things begin looking up. The sharpness of Gompertzs mortality curve flattens out at about 100.
Some scientists have explained that the deceleration of the death rate beyond 100 could suggest that there is no fixed limit to the human lifespan.
Traditionally, aging has been viewed as inevitable as death. But what if age isnt inevitable, but a curable disease? What about death then?
British gerontologist Aubrey de Grey, chief science officer at a California research foundation, says aging is not unavoidable, its simply a medical problem that science can solve. While de Grey does consider life extension a health issue eliminating age-related diseases like cancer, stroke, Alzheimers, heart disease, etc. he views it from different lenses.
Treating and beating age-associated diseases has always been approached discreetly. Tackle this, tackle that. But thats precisely because aging has never been regarded as a disease. If it were, and were conquered, then age-associated diseases would no longer exist. Win-win.
David Masci, a researcher for Pew Research Center, says life extension is no longer the realm of cranks and science fiction writers. Heavy hitters are pouring serious money into tackling aging at its root.
From 1997 to 2013, Oracle co-founder billionaire Larry Ellison contributed $45 million annually to his Ellison Medical Foundation, which focuses on the aging process while simultaneously lowering and eliminating age-related diseases.
Ellison stopped contributing in 2013 because Google founded California Life Co., which seeks to reverse-engineer the biology that controls lifespan and devise interventions that enable people to lead longer and healthier lives essentially Ellisons goal.
Life extension approaches vary, from ways to eliminate decrepit (senescent) cells, to pursuing Metformin, the closest now to a drug that appears to target aging, to extrapolating from discovery that a single-gene mutation doubles the lifespan of certain roundworms.
So maybe well see. Meanwhile, remember that Lucille Ball said, The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.
Michael Smith is a Southern Pines writer.
Follow this link:
Column: Just How Old Is 'Old Age' in The Future? - Southern Pines Pilot
- 2 More Drugs Recommended To Treat Covid In UK, But Not In US - Kaiser Health News - January 12th, 2021
- The Venture Bros: 10 Biggest Twists In The Series | CBR - CBR - Comic Book Resources - January 12th, 2021
- DNA-editing method shows promise to treat mouse model of progeria - National Human Genome Research Institute - January 9th, 2021
- Digital twins and design innovation - Engineer Live - January 9th, 2021
- Harpoon Therapeutics : Clin Cancer Res 2021; OnlineFirst version Jan 6, 2021 - Marketscreener.com - January 9th, 2021
- Massive Science Year in Review: 2020 edition - Massive Science - January 9th, 2021
- Panthera began dosing volunteers in AstraZeneca's phase III of its long-acting antibody combination AZD7442 for the prevention of COVID-19 at its... - January 9th, 2021
- National Guard troops to take back seat as Trump addresses supporters rallying to his call to overturn the election - Washington Examiner - January 9th, 2021
- Several AF fighter jets, combat helicopters to be overhauled to boost air power - Daily Mirror - January 9th, 2021
- Looking At Year Seven On This Cancerversary - Curetoday.com - January 5th, 2021
- JPT Mature Fields and Well Revitalization - Journal of Petroleum Technology - January 5th, 2021
- The 6 big military space stories of 2020 - C4ISRNet - January 5th, 2021
- Comprehensive Report on Magnolia Bark Extract Market 2021 | Trends, Growth Demand, Opportunities & Forecast To 2027 - LionLowdown - January 5th, 2021
- Midlife refit of Scripps' Research Vessel Roger Revelle completed - Research vessel (R/V) Roger Revelle is back at work after a midlife refit... - January 5th, 2021
- 2020: A year of challenge and achievement for Indian nuclear sector - The Siasat Daily - January 5th, 2021
- Equinor stakes NOK 3 billion to improve Statfjord Ost oil recovery - WorldOil - December 28th, 2020
- Antibody study aims to protect those exposed to coronavirus from illness - The Jerusalem Post - December 28th, 2020
- Five Persistent Misconceptions About Modernizing The US ICBM Force - Forbes - December 28th, 2020
- Commercial constellations don't live up to the hype: Euroconsult - SatelliteProME.com - December 14th, 2020
- Global Antioxidant Supplement Market Proceeds To Witness Huge Upswing Over Assessment Period by 2025 - The Courier - December 14th, 2020
- The end of coal? Why investors aren't buying the myth of the industry's 'renaissance' - The Guardian - December 14th, 2020
- Fiore Gold Reports Two Year Mine Life Extension at Its Pan Mine, Nevada - Yahoo Finance - December 10th, 2020
- Crescendo Biologics Expands its Ongoing Collaboration with Takeda - Business Wire - December 10th, 2020
- The 10 Best Creatine Supplements in 2020 - Healthline - December 10th, 2020
- EPZ calls for continued nuclear power in the Netherlands - Nuclear Engineering - December 10th, 2020
- The Global Military Aircraft Modernization and Upgrade and Retrofit Market is expected to grow by $ 2.61 bn during 2020-2024 progressing at a CAGR of... - December 10th, 2020
- Controlled Intelligent Packaging, Preservation and Shelf-Life Extension Market to Witness Widespread Expansion During 2020 to 2026 Cargill Inc.... - December 10th, 2020
- Shelf Life Extension Ingredients Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities and Analysis Of Top Key Player Forecast To 2028 - Murphy's Hockey Law - December 10th, 2020
- SABCS: Novartis touts Kisqali's 5-year breast cancer survival, advantage over Pfizer's Ibrance - FiercePharma - December 10th, 2020
- Satellite capacity pricing declines slow, but price pressure expected to increase with new supply entering service in 2023 - Geospatial World - December 6th, 2020
- Team Trump's 2022 budget plan; COVID canks conference; Raytheon, C3.ai team up; and more. - Defense One - December 6th, 2020
- Researchers Think Megastructures Can Help Seed Life Throughout the Galaxy - VICE - December 6th, 2020
- Dehydroepiandrosterone(DHEA) Market 2020-2025 with Growth Factors and Trends with Focusing Key players like BulkSupplements, Natrol, Jarrow Formulas,... - December 6th, 2020
- Shelf Life Extension Ingredients Market Analysis of Key Players, End User, Demand and Consumption By 2028 - The Haitian-Caribbean News Network - December 1st, 2020
- Lubbock weather radar to be down for 2 weeks - Plainview Daily Herald - November 28th, 2020
- Switzerland extends life of CV90s - Jane's - November 28th, 2020
- Impact of COVID-19 on Oral Probiotics Market 2020 Industry Insight, Segment by Key Companies, Countries, Types, Applications and Forecast to 2026 -... - November 28th, 2020
- Incremental Sales to Drive the Cold Plasma Market by 2026 - The Market Feed - November 28th, 2020
- Flight Tests to Show B61-12 Will Work on Air Force's Newest Fighter Jet - I-Connect007 - November 26th, 2020
- An F-35A Dropped An Inert B61-12 Nuclear Bomb During Supersonic Flight For The First Time - The Aviationist - November 26th, 2020
- Flight tests to show B61-12 will work on Air Forces newest fighter jet - Newswise - November 26th, 2020
- Global Bilberry Extract Products Market To Witness Huge Gains Over 2020-2026 - The Courier - November 26th, 2020
- Traditional launch services may not suit the needs of the future Space Force - SpaceNews - November 26th, 2020
- Natural sleeping pills: What are they? - Medical News Today - November 23rd, 2020
- Adagio Therapeutics COVID-19 Antibody Demonstrates Best-in-Class Breadth and Potency Against a Range of Coronaviruses that Pose Human Threat |... - November 23rd, 2020
- Infrastructure and Energy Alternatives, Inc. Extends Service Offering to Wind Customers Through Formation of New Renewable Energy Services Group -... - November 23rd, 2020
- Family fight to make more memories with daughter after pandemic robs them of precious time - North Wales Live - November 23rd, 2020
- NY Power Authority Announces First Milestone of Project to Extend Operating Life of New York's Largest Power Plant - Automation.com - November 18th, 2020
- Cryonics Technology Market Size & Revenue Analysis | Praxair, Cellulis, Cryologics, Cryotherm, KrioRus - The Think Curiouser - November 18th, 2020
- Minot's weather radar will be out of service for approximately one week for scheduled upgrades - Minot Daily News - November 18th, 2020
- Cryonics Technology Market 2020 to Global Forecast 2023 By Key Companies Praxair, Cellulis, Cryologics, Cryotherm, KrioRus, VWR, Thermo Fisher... - November 18th, 2020
- Inside The Navy's Top Aggressor Squadron That Is About To Trade Its Hornets For Super Hornets - The Drive - November 18th, 2020
- Antioxidant Supplement Market Bolstered by Emerging New Advancements, Says QYR | NOW, Vibrant Health, AST R-ALA, GNC - The Think Curiouser - November 18th, 2020
- Why Blade Runner is the best sci-fi movie of all time - Looper - November 18th, 2020
- Oral Probiotics Market Outlook, Global Key Players and Covid-19 Impact by 2026 | Oragenics, Life Extension, TheraBreath and Others - TechnoWeekly - November 8th, 2020
- 10 Sci-Fi Movies That Only Make Sense On A Rewatch | ScreenRant - Screen Rant - November 8th, 2020
- Emergent BioSolutions Reports Financial Results for Third Quarter and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2020 and Updates Full Year 2020 Guidance - Yahoo... - November 5th, 2020
- Insights on the In-Space Manufacturing, Servicing, and Transportation Global Market to 2030 - Increasing Developments in On-Orbit Space Capabilities... - November 5th, 2020
- MJR completes work on TSHD Heortnesse - Dredging Today - November 5th, 2020
- Global Glucose Tolerance Test Market 2020 Covid 19 Analysis, Market Size, Market Growth, Competitive Strategies, and Worldwide Demand 2027 - BCFocus - November 5th, 2020
- Lingonberry Extract Market: Qualitative analysis of the leading players and competitive industry scenario | Shanghai Freemen, Natrol, Source Naturals,... - November 5th, 2020
- Cryonics Technology Market 2020 Industry Size, Trends, Global Growth, Insights And Forecast Research Report 2025 - The Think Curiouser - November 5th, 2020
- Antioxidant Supplement Market 2026 Industry Trends, Size, Growth Insight, Share, Emerging Technologies, Share, Competitive, Regional, And Global... - November 5th, 2020
- Impact Of Covid 19 On Bilberry Extract Products Market 2020 Industry Challenges Business Overview And Forecast Research Study 2026 - TechnoWeekly - November 5th, 2020
- Funding questions loom over the UK's Integrated Review - Army Technology - November 5th, 2020
- Brookings Register | Theory: Replaceable bars could save millions - Brookings Register - November 5th, 2020
- Global Cryonics Technology Market 2025 Current as Well as the Future Challenges: Praxair, Cellulis, Cryologics, Cryotherm, KrioRus, VWR - The Think... - November 5th, 2020
- Black Cumin Seed Oil (COVID-19 Version) Market Insights, Forecast to 2025 | Henry Lamotte OILS GmbH, FLAVEX Naturextrakte GmbH, Henry Lamotte Oils... - November 5th, 2020
- Edited Transcript of ERII.OQ earnings conference call or presentation 29-Oct-20 9:00pm GMT - Yahoo Finance - October 31st, 2020
- Comprehensive Report on Withania Somnifera Extract Market by global COVID-19 impact analysis, industry trends, business strategies, opportunities and... - October 31st, 2020
- The global Cold Plasma Market to go steady between 2018 and 2026 - The Think Curiouser - October 31st, 2020
- 3 Ways Social Distancing Could Be Affecting You That You Dont RealizeAnd the Supplements to Deal With It - Well+Good - October 29th, 2020
- Mortal politics - The River Reporter - October 29th, 2020
- Oral & Dental Probiotics Market (Impact Of Covid-19) Opportunities, Top Vendors, Industrial Analysis, Business Investment And Trends In Industry... - October 29th, 2020
- Reishi Mushroom Extract Market Global Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunities, and Forecast, Covid-19 Impact by 2026 - The Think Curiouser - October 29th, 2020
- Will America Help Britain Build a New Nuclear Warhead? - War on the Rocks - October 25th, 2020
- Wellness Supplements Market : Incredible Possibilities, Growth With Industry Study, Detailed Analysis 2020-2027 | Leading Players Life Extension,... - October 25th, 2020
- Texas Biomed with the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Aridis Pharmaceuticals develop a neutralizing human monoclonal antibody against... - October 25th, 2020
- OCNI congratulates the Centre for Canadian Nuclear Sustainability (CCNS) on the opening of its Innovation and Collaboration Space in Pickering -... - October 25th, 2020
- Bentley Systems Announces Winners of Year in Infrastructure 2020 Awards - Business Wire - October 25th, 2020