Longevity: Or how I learned to stop worrying and trust the double helix

According to a growing number of biologists life doesn't have to be so short.

Think of your body as a machine. A well oiled, well lubricated machine can last longer than one not properly maintained. We've seen an increased lifespan over a historically small period of time, that it'd be safe to assume this trend increasing. Although the computer principal for for double power every year may be slowing, this bodily principal has room to get better. Aging scientists are now intriqued by the growing evidence that long life is a relatively few base substitutions away.

If the body is a machine, then genetics would be the central command. It's believed that parts of this command structure are self-limiting. In other words there is a pre-established time limit from the moment your DNA begins expression into protein. Theortically this limit could be removed right. Bypassed? Without a time limit, the DNA could replicate endlessly right?

No. There are a lot more details glossed over in this blog, I would recommend reading "The Molecular Biology of the Gene" written by James Watson, among others. It is on a regulatory basis that these news studies are hopeful for people, if the longevity pathway can be elucidated, then it could potentially apply to anyone.

Personally I can see human beings aging to a tremendously rip age of well over 100. However skeptical you are now, 100 years ago for you to say that people would be averaging an age of 70, you'd call me crazy as well. My problem with living this long is what to do? As a theory capitalism is not giving everyone a job, a feat which the communists have managed FYI. I can't imagine doing a job for 50 years, or 75 years. The same task every day.

On top of what to do, what will you see? People you know will eventually being dying of random accidents. It happens now, but with medicine providing longer life, you'd only start seeing people dropping dead from freak occurrences.

I think I'll revisit this post in the future. Till then keep aging.