X-Message-Number: 8484
From:
Date: Thu, 21 Aug 1997 20:39:08 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Tom Shapard's suggestion in CryoNet #8474, "Catching the Wave"
>I call it "Catching the Wave". Maybe becasue I'm from CA and too surf
>influence, but it seems apt to me. It means living long enough so that the
>wave of medical technology comes up behind you, extending your life still
>more, carring a bit farther into the future, where still improved
>technology takes you all the way in to indefinite lifespan.
>Tom Shapard <>
Although I am not a surfer, I really like that term, as it describes
perfectly the way I feel about my personal assessment on how to reach an
indefinite lifespan.
- Point: Mike Perry's message #8482:
"The cloning of an important human telomerase gene has been reported
in *Science* ("Telomerase catalytic subunits from fission yeast and
human: a unique branch of reverse transcriptases," *Science* Aug. 15,
1997.) Two collaborating groups were involved, Geron Corp.
and the University of Colorado, Boulder. According
to Thomas Cech of UC Boulder, "The cloning of the active center of
telomerase is a major milestone ... (Rest of the text deleted, but can be
read in Message # 8482)
- Point: Chromos Molecular Systems Inc.
Chromos Molecular Systems Inc. The company's business is to
develop and produce engineered mammalian artificial
chromosomes, which are stable...
http://www.chromos.com/ - size 2K - 25-Feb-97 - English
(I have just tried to get into their site and get error
messages. I believe, that they are in the process of moving
to new premises). As the above text indicates, they have as
I understand been successful in producing artificial animal
chromosomes and are already in the process of marketing
them. My earlier enquiry as to the presence of telomeres
went unanswered, I guess due to my lack of scientific
credentials.)
- Point: The recent announcement by that group of Australian
scientists, who have developed that little sniffer, which
includes its a molecular size switch, which is only 1.5nm
long. That makes it only 1/200th of the lenght of your
average bacterium. As they do not say anything about self-
replication in any of the text, which I read, I assume, that
that has not yet been achieved. Nevertheless most of us
have not expected this type of technology, which produced
that switch for another ten years.
With these and a number of other developments in the fields of
medicine and biotechnology, I believe that it is not unrealistic
to expect major breakthroughs in rejuvination at the cellular
level within 50 to 70 years.
Now to catching my own personal 'wave':
I am now 63 years old of excellent health and in better physical
shape than many a 40 year old. This gives me reason to believe,
that I have the inherent capacity to make it to age 90, i.e.
another 27 years
If we can believe Messrs. Dr. William Regelson
and Dr. Ronald Klatz, then present day techniques
of hormone replacement, and vitamin supplements
etc. will give me (the next 'wave'?): another 15 years
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Prelim. Total: another 42 years
By this conjecture I have 42 more years to live and anti-aging
medicine has 42 years to come up with solutions to keep me alive
an additional 8 to 28 years after that (the last 'wave'?), or
until I am somewhere between 113 and 133 years old. :)
Okay, so I am dreaming, but is there anybody in this group who
will declare this scenario as outright impossible?
The trick is to get onto the 'wave' of new technologies to be
carried forward towards the goal of indefinite life-span in the
best physical condition possible.
All the best,
Olaf
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