[extropy-chat] Altered genes let roundworms wiggle longer

Robert J. Bradbury bradbury at aeiveos.com
Mon Mar 22 22:31:17 UTC 2004


On Mon, 22 Mar 2004, Damien Broderick wrote:

> This is so tiresome. Humans are *not* like worms. These worms have a
> programmed dauer phase which the genetic manipulations modify. We don't.

Damien, I will voice objections on three counts.

1) Just because humans are not *currently* like worms, is no
assertion that they cannot be made like worms.   I for one can
think of a number of distinct advantages to having a human dauer
phase.  Two of which would be avoiding the current tiresome political
administration and simply allowing one to exist in a low
energy state as ones mutual fund wealth accumulated.  I am
sure the list could be extended.  (One can obviously draw
interesting comparisons between humans in a dauer phase and
humans which have been suspended using cryonics.)

2) I believe that a careful investigation of Cynthia's work may
indicate that that they have gone beyond the dauer phase slowing
of aging efforts.  [I am not absolutely certain about this -- but
would urge it to be investigated.]  If this is accurate they are
well into the *what is aging?* and *how do we slow it down?* phase.
[My off the cuff level reaction is that the dauer phase stuff got you 2x
but it took a lot more than that to get you 6x lifespan extension.]

3) It is reasonable to cite that extending the longevity of worms
is not the same as extending the longevity of humans.  *But*
it is completely different to assert that extending the longevity
of worms cannot be applied to the extending of the longevity of
humans.  I believe when this is all said and done we will find
that some of the ideas involved in extending the longevity of
short lived species will be useful for us (or other long lived
species) to consider.  And there will also be required new and
imaginative methods that involve therapies that are mainly useful
to long-lived species.

Bottom-line: do not count the worms out of the equation -- they may
still have something to offer -- however do not view them as a
complete solution.

You are dealing with a chessboard that Fisher *and* Kasparov
would stare at through crossed fingers...

R.





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