FOREVER-Newsblog

The Billionaire Who Is Planning His 125th Birthday

admin — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 17:40:59 +0000

One morning in early January, David Murdock awoke to an unsettling sensation. At first he didn’t recognize it and then he couldn’t believe it, because for years — decades, really — he maintained what was, in his immodest estimation, perfect health. But now there was this undeniable imperfection, a scratchiness and swollenness familiar only from the distant past. Incredibly, infuriatingly, he had a sore throat. Author: Frank Bruni —– Read more from The New York Times-online, March 03, 2011

‘Ageless’ animals give scientists clues on how to overcome the aging process

admin — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 17:39:15 +0000

(…) “The Holy Grail of gerontology is finding how to prevent or reverse aging, and seabirds have discovered some of that,” Nisbet said. “We just wish we knew what exactly that was.” Author: Carrie Arnold —– Read more on physorg.com, March 01, 2011

Telomere dysfunction induces metabolic and mitochondrial compromise

admin — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 17:34:45 +0000

Telomere dysfunction activates p53-mediated cellular growth arrest, senescence and apoptosis to drive progressive atrophy and functional decline in high-turnover tissues. Read the abstract of an article from Nature-online, February 17, 2011

Ecuadorean Villagers May Hold Secret to Longevity

admin — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 17:32:54 +0000

People living in remote villages in Ecuador have a mutation that some biologists say may throw light on human longevity and ways to increase it. Author: Nicholas Wade —– Read more from the New York Times-online, February 16, 2011

The ‘core pathway’ of aging

admin — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 17:29:42 +0000

Scientists find root molecular cause of declining health in the old. Author: Bill Schaller —– Read more from the Harvardgazette-online, February 14, 2011. See also some comments on nextbigfuture.com.

Living fast but dying older is possible — if you’re a sheep

admin — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 17:27:55 +0000

According to Dr Annette Baudisch of the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Rostock, Germany, current methods of comparing patterns of ageing are limited because they confound two different elements of ageing – pace and shape. Read more on biosciencetechnology.com, February 14, 2011

Transhumanists Coming Out of the Closet

admin — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 17:25:48 +0000

It wasn’t that long ago that listing transhumanism, human enhancement, the Singularity, technology-driven evolution, existential risks, and so on, as academic interests on one’s CV might result in a bit of embarrassment. Author: Philippe Verdoux —– Read more from the homepage of ‘The Institute of Ethics & Emerging Technologies’ (IEET), February 14, 2011

Reflections on the strange creed of Transhumanism

admin — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 17:19:48 +0000

Last week, while I was trying my hardest to avoid completing my homework, I ran across a rather interesting article in Time Magazine. The article basically enumerated the beliefs of the transhumanists, a group of people that believe that the advancement of technology will, in the near future, lead to an event called the Singularity. Author: Alexander Anderson —– Read more on Iowa State Daily.com, February 14, 2011

2045: The Year Man Becomes Immortal

admin — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 11:06:40 +0000

On Feb. 15, 1965, a diffident but self-possessed high school student named Raymond Kurzweil appeared as a guest on a game show called I’ve Got a Secret. He was introduced by the host, Steve Allen, then he played a short musical composition on a piano. The idea was that Kurzweil was hiding an unusual fact and the panelists — they included a comedian and a former Miss America — had to guess what it was. Author: Lev Grossman —– Read the cover story of the Time Magazine (Vol. 177, No. 7, February 21, 2011), online since February 10, 2011

Human Biological Immortality in 50 years

admin — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 11:05:22 +0000

I believe that death due to ageing is not an absolute necessity of human nature. From the evolutionary point of view, we age because nature withholds energy for somatic (bodily) repairs and diverts it to the germ-cells (in order to assure the survival and evolution of the DNA). This is necessary so that the DNA is able to develop and achieve higher complexity. Author: Marios Kyriazis —– Read more from a blog entry on lifeboat.com, February 01, 2011

Antioxidants – anti-ageing or just hype?

admin — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 11:04:31 +0000

If the 1990s was the decade of blueberries and green tea, the noughties belonged to acai and pomegranate – foods rich in health promoting antioxidants. They’re all part of the “good versus evil” story we know by heart: antioxidants are the heroes protecting us from free radicals – nasty molecules causing oxidative stress in our cells and contributing to ageing and disease. Author: Paula Goodyer —– Read more from The Sydney Morning Herald online, February 01, 2011

Stop, rewind: the scientists slowing the ageing process

admin — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 11:03:28 +0000

Scientists are slowly unlocking the secrets of ageing, and some suggest treatments may soon be at hand to slow or even reverse the ageing process. Author: Neil Bowdler —– Read more from BBC News online, January 26, 2011

Viewpoints: Fountain of youth may be elusive, but let’s find the fountain of health

admin — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 11:02:19 +0000

At 72 years old, Gov. Edmund Brown Jr. is a picture of health. If only everyone could enjoy the health and good genes that California’s newest and oldest governor joked about at his swearing-in ceremony, our aging population and economic future would be more secure. Author: Brian Kennedy —– Read more from The Sacramento Bee online, January 21, 2011

Will Fruit Fly Intestines Tell a Human Tale?

admin — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 11:01:14 +0000

“Our research suggests that in addition to paying attention to what we eat, which has been the focus of longevity research, we may also have to consider what our body does with the food and what goes on in our guts,” Miguel-Aliaga says.

(Main conclusion in an article about fruit fly research on CBS News online, January 19, 2011)

Three Steps to Outliving Death Itself

admin — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:59:40 +0000

Anti-aging expert Aubrey de Grey gives advice on how to extend your life long enough to be around when scientists defeat human mortality:

Essay against AI-Singularity

admin — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:58:30 +0000

The scientific method doesn’t care about AI

So, how is the singularity-AI-technology issue supposed to work? What can a superhuman AI in fact contribute? Author: TFC —– Read more from an essay in the forum of the Immortality Institute (that is now called “Longecity”), January 11, 2011

Doubt on Anti-Aging Molecule as Drug Trial Stops

admin — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:57:23 +0000

The pharmaceutical company Sirtris announced last month that it had halted the last of its clinical trials of resveratrol, the minor ingredient of red wine that some researchers see as a drug that can extend life. Author: Nicholas Wade —– Read more from The New York Times online, January 10, 2011

‘Un-Growth Hormone’ Increases Longevity, Researchers Find

admin — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:56:31 +0000

A compound which acts in the opposite way as growth hormone can reverse some of the signs of aging, a research team that includes a Saint Louis University physician has shown. The finding may be counter-intuitive to some older adults who take growth hormone, thinking it will help revitalize them. Read more on sciencedaily.com, December 23, 2010

Older people who eat healthy diets ‘lead longer lives’

admin — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:51:35 +0000

Older people who follow healthy diets may live longer, a study suggests. Research in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found those who ate a low-fat diet that contained lots of fruit and vegetables lowered their risk of dying over 10 years. Read more from BBC News online, December 22, 2010

‘Fountain of Youth’ Pill Could Restore Aging Immune System

admin — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:50:39 +0000

UCSF researchers have identified an existing medication that restores key elements of the immune system that, when out of balance, lead to a steady decline in immunity and health as people age. Read more on sciencedaily.com, December 14, 2010

The Truth Wears Off

admin — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:49:41 +0000

Is there something wrong with the scientific method? Author: Jonah Lehrer —– Read more from The New Yorker online, December 13, 2010

Kazakhstan’s president urges scientists to find the elixir of life

admin — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:48:35 +0000

Nursultan Nazarbayev calls on new research institute to concentrate on study to unlock secret of immortality. Author: Tom Parfitt —– Read more from The British Guardian online, December 07, 2010

How to achieve ‘biological immortality’ naturally

admin — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:47:37 +0000

Evolutionary biologist Michael Rose, professor at University of California, Irvine, says he has discovered a natural way to achieve “biological immortality” without the use of anti-aging drugs and stem cell treatments. Author: David Despain —– Read more on kurzweilai.net, December 06, 2010

Harvard scientists reverse the ageing process in mice – now for humans

admin — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:46:06 +0000

Harvard scientists were surprised that they saw a dramatic reversal, not just a slowing down, of the ageing in mice. Now they believe they might be able to regenerate human organs. Author: Ian Sample —– Read more from The British Guardian online, November 28, 2010

Is this the end of ageing? How we can hold back the years

admin — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:45:13 +0000

There are, it seems, medical breakthroughs nearly every week to help us combat one of the harsh facts of life: ageing. Last week, researchers at Durham University reported that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in women, designed to replace sex hormones such as oestrogen which fall with age, has been shown to help the brains of middle-aged women work like those of younger women. Author: Alice Smellie —– Read more from The British Daily Mail online, November 27, 2010