The future, what will it hold for us?
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ShakyJake
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Actually, barring accidents, I can foresee us extending life indefinitely. Hell, "backing up" the contents of our brains and downloading into a new body is a frequent subject in science fiction. Of course this brings up the whole debate about the "soul" and what not, but it doesn't remove the possibility of achieving it.
What I'm mostly interested in, in the short term, is exactly HOW it will be determined that a person can get life-extension drugs or technology. Will it be based on economics? The rich get to live forever and the poor continue to die? Wow, that's going to cause a shit storm.
Cad
scientia potentia est
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I think the cure for cancer and the long life research will go hand in hand. Cancer cells are immortal in that they can divide an unlimited number of times. Thats one reason they can spread so quickly. And they are your own cells; your body doesn't recognize them as different from you.
Curing cancer in the long run will take control of the immune system to recognize tumors before they get out of control; once this happens then "immortal" human cells aren't really a problem; in fact they might be a benefit. Granted current tumor cells aren't useful.
Curing cancer in the long run will take control of the immune system to recognize tumors before they get out of control; once this happens then "immortal" human cells aren't really a problem; in fact they might be a benefit. Granted current tumor cells aren't useful.
radditsu
Silver Knight of the Realm
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No cubicle here...just a bunch of network equipment scattered around and boxes full of projects that i need to do.
You see human beings have the ability to be multi faceted, and more experienced with time. Some can go to school, play some video games, get a STEM job, get married, have kids, enjoy life, and get away from their leech parents. It happens all the time. Human beings are not specialized. Human beings have abilities far beyond you can even comprehend. Most of us have the fortitude to make tough decisions and prosper in any environment.
I do not think you know much about human nature. I think most of us have a really good idea who and what humanity is and what it can achieve, because we live it.
Deal with your life for fucks sake.
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I dunno, I don't think we will ever get all that close to 'extending life indefinitely'. The molecular complexities of the Rubegoldbergian way that we function are just too numerous and too fragile. It seems to fly in the face of both natural selection and thermodynamics. I'm not so sure that it can't ever be done, just that I'll take the Vegas odds against it. Extend life? Sure. Indefinitely? Not so much. Imo.
Mist
REEEEeyore
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I'm holding up pretty fucking well considering the bullshit I've had to deal with in the past 5 years. Fixing up a house that's been hit by 4 major natural disasters (after my stepdad took off with the FEMA and SBA loan money) while taking care of my mom and going to graduate school and being everyone's fucking slave at the university. And I've still got more money in the bank than I've got debts in my own name. If not having a life and friends is the sacrifice I need to make to get that all to work, welp.
Besides, who needs friends when I've got all you wonderful people for support.
Besides, who needs friends when I've got all you wonderful people for support.
ShakyJake
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Perhaps not the same physical body but the possibility exists for your consciousness to be "downloaded" into a new vessel.
Mist
REEEEeyore
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I doubt it's that far. Once we start pouring lots of our best minds and our best mechanical minds into the frontiers of neuroscience, I think our knowledge of the subject will explode. Neuroscience and psych are exciting because they're still really young sciences.
ShakyJake
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Big Phoenix
Pronouns: zie/zhem/zer
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iannis
Musty Nester
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Kinda. They're not though because they kill their host. Cancer cells are more parasitic than they are immortal.
Life extension I don't see any troubles with. But clinical immortality? That really is more the realm of science fiction imho. Complexity comes at the price of mortality. The immortal shit is simple. Mostly less than cellular, some single celled, and (iirc) a few very special multicellular systems (jellyfish?). The regulation of growth, or lack of it, is a definitional aspect of cancer. The end product of either seems to be loss of function.
Maybe some diligent researchers will find a way to replace the basal layers in all human tissues and you will eventually be able to go into the doctors office for an oil change every 30,000 miles. But currently we have no idea how to even begin to think about doing that, and I don't think that something like that will EVER be reliable.
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Sebudai
Ssraeszha Raider
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Haha. You're really going full retard lately, huh?
This dude nails it.
ZyyzYzzy
RIP USA
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Think he was referring to the fact that cancerous cells seem to be immortal when cultured. See HeLa cells
I've been reading a lot of scifi lately, for game ideas and such. Lots of far future stuff that probably has no bearing on reality. The books have some interesting pathways leading to the state of technology that exists in the stories:
Invent AI, AI invents lots of great stuff fairly quickly.
Extend life, explore the galaxy over massive timescales and pick up lots of amazing tech. (No ftl in this story)
Improve humanity via engineering/nanotech, humanity makes cool stuff, explores galaxy, finds more cool stuff
My fave is the extend life option. It comes with its own set of problems, but I'd love to be around to see Andromeda merge.
Invent AI, AI invents lots of great stuff fairly quickly.
Extend life, explore the galaxy over massive timescales and pick up lots of amazing tech. (No ftl in this story)
Improve humanity via engineering/nanotech, humanity makes cool stuff, explores galaxy, finds more cool stuff
My fave is the extend life option. It comes with its own set of problems, but I'd love to be around to see Andromeda merge.
Tuco
I got Tuco'd!
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