X-Message-Number: 992 Newsgroups: sci.cryonics From: (Thomas D. Shapard) Subject: ageing research Date: 14 Jul 92 22:55:16 GMT I suggest that the public at large will not move toward cryonics until they begin to accept the idea that greatly extended healthy lifespans will someday be possible. And they won't accept that idea until they see some indication of actual ageing reversal technology in action. As I understand it, research into actual control and reversing of ageing is near nonexistent. Research into specific diseases associated with age is done, but, as I recall, the relevant Federal organization (?) explicitly denies any goal of extending maximum lifespans or reversing the effects of ageing. As usual, funding for such research is more likely to follow rather than lead public pressure But I suspect even a demonstrated new tech capability to do something fairly minor, even something like reversing the greying of hair [I don't mean a new improved dye, I mean actually changing whatever causes greying] would begin the change in broad public opinion. What other, in themselves maybe fairly minor advances, do you think might (a) be possible comparatively soon, and (b) be such as to capture the public's imagination? -- Tom Shapard NRaD San Diego CA Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=992