[extropy-chat] Longevity Meme: Activism for Healthy Life Extension

[Adrian Tymes]

--- "Robert J. Bradbury" <bradbury at aeiveos.com> wrote:
> On Thu, 27 Nov 2003, Giu1i0 Pri5c0 wrote:
> > Today, humanity stands on the brink of real,
> meaningful anti-aging
> > medicine. Scientists talk of 200-year life spans,
> ...
> 
> Only scientists who don't know what they are talking
> about.  If one
> *really* understands aging and defeats it you are
> talking about
> 2000-7000 year lifespans limited by ones accident
> rate.

Or scientists who don't want to overly future shock
the public, fearing they might lose their jobs if
they did.

> > Far longer, far healthier lives are possible.
> 
> Claim without facts in evidence.  Brain cells *do*
> die at some
> rate (perhaps this rate may vary during ones
> lifetime).

And can be regenerated, it turns out.  It was once
thought otherwise, but apparently not so.  Of course,
it might be the case that the natural replacement rate
is less than the natural death rate, but this is
something we can adjust.  (Or, as you suggested, do
replacements.)

> It
> isn't clear
> how much of your brain you can lose before become
> someone
> significantly other than who you once were (you
> might be able
> to get away with 1/2 -- but I doubt you could get
> away with 1/10).

You can't even get away with 100%.  People usually
don't lose too many brain cells between 10 and 20 and
30, yet people are often at least a little - sometimes
(often?) significantly - different at those ages.