[extropy-chat] mitochondrial quantum leap

[Rafal Smigrodzki]

On 7/10/05, The Avantguardian <avantguardian2020 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> 
> 
> Wow. Not to mention customizing entirely new ones. Can
> I get some mitochodria with a few extra copies of the
> SOD gene? :)
> 
### Yes, you could - but you wouldn't need to! If you can replace your
mitos every twenty years, you don't need to protect them as if your
life depended on them, or be careful about using them up. No more
veggies and antioxidants. The wildest lifestyle of smoky bacon,
tobacco, and booze could be sustained indefinitely, or at least as
long as your nuclear DNA doesn't give up.

But on the other hand, yes, you could splice new genes into your
mitos, maybe something to improve control of cancerogenesis, which
could otherwise still remain your Achilles' heel. Even with fresh
mitos the nuclear mutations may be sufficient to cause cancer,
although at a lower rate than with sick mitos.

And of course you could have super-charged mitos, for extreme
endurance and high IQ. One of the limitations of intelligence is the
energetic capacity of neurons, as shown in mice with mitochondrial
replacement achieved by a breeding program.

Rafal