“I don’t want to achieve immortality by living forever. I want to achieve it by not dying.”

Woody Allen

Achieving immortality is one of scientists greatest and most elusive goals. Alchemists have tried to concoct the elixir of life and conquistadores have searched for the fountain of youth. Modern science has conducted experiments on how to prolong and preserve human life since the 1930s. And now, scientists have finally started to make significant breakthroughs.

The aging process is indeed one of the most complex and mysterious progressions of the human body and defying it has been one of science’s greatest ambitions.

Most of the research has been geared towards a better understanding of the cellular processes and mechanisms that cause gray hair, wrinkles and creaking bones – the signs of aging. Recent experiments on extending human life have shown great promise and who knows? We just might be able to live longer than nature intended.

Extreme optimists believe that human lifespan can be extended indefinitely. One such believer and researcher is Cambridge biomedical gerontologist Aubrey de Gray.

By promoting a new approach to postponing aging, de Gray believes that a longer lifespan (and possibly immortality) lies in combating the loss and damage of our body’s cells. Stem cell therapy could replace organs damaged by cell degeneration, while potential cancer cells could be killed off through a genetic vaccine.

Radical ideas indeed, but de Gray predicts that his ideas will be commonplace a mere 20 years from now.

But don’t knock our current progress as modern medicine has made remarkable achievements in extending our lifespan, curing diseases and reversing the aging process. The field of reparative medicine is coming close to building the bionic man.

Body replacements have gone a long way since the bionic ear and cochlear implants of the 1970s. Today, bionic counterparts can replace ailing major organs such as kidneys, lungs, brains and heart. Artificial hearts can extend the lifespan of heart failure patients while a bionic brain could replace cells damaged by the debilitating Alzheimer’s disease.

The field of nanotechnology has shows some remarkable achievements too. Some scientists believe Cancer could very well become a thing of the past with the development of new nanotherapies. The tiny size of nanoparticles is just right to effectively target the harmful cells without killing off the healthy ones, thus providing a safe and non-invasive alternative to conventional cancer treatments.

In the near future, science might just make it possible to live forever.

But a question more people are asking is: Why would I want to? If a pill holds the key to your own immortality, would you take it?

Questions on defying death and halting the aging process have launched a heated debate among scientists, ethicists and policymakers. Considering the high cost of therapies, only the rich would have the opportunity to live longer and stay younger while the poor die off. This poses some serious sociological concerns.

Psychologists also wonder how long a person can live a worthwhile and fruitful life before going insane. Conservatives believe that the quest for immortality is tampering with the laws and intent of nature.

But for those who dream of living forever, It just might be possible.

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This entry was posted on Friday, August 15th, 2008 at 11:46 am and is filed under Articles, Future Science. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.