LIVE TO 150 !

LIVE TO 150 !

This is the title of an incredible 'Special Report' : Health that appeared in this past Sunday's Barron's Financial Weekly (4/17/06). As I happen to think that our severely limited lifespan makes all human accomplishment pointless, this article is fascinating to me... The introduction follows:

Eating lightly-very lightly-is part of it. So are 'the fountain of youth' genes. At long last, scientists say they are unlocking the secrets of longevity...

No one ever said it would be easy to live forever. We may need ultra-low calorie diets - think baked soybeans, sardines and protein powders - and we'll certainly need to break a sweat at the gym. But throw in a generous helping of scientific advances, and beating the current world - record of 122 1/2 years starts to look downright doable. You might even live to 150 or longer - perhaps much, much longer. A growing number of maverick scientists, doctors, researchers, biogeneticists and nano-technologists - many with impeccable academic credentials - insist that the war on aging can be won. All believe significantly longer life spans and, perhaps eventually, true biological immortality, are not only possible but also scientifically achievable. What's more, it could happen in time to aid those now living.

"The first person to live to be 1,000 years old is certainly alive today; indeed, he or she may be about to turn 60," says Aubrey de Grey, the Cambridge University geneticist who has become the de facto spokesman of the anti-aging crusade. "Whether they realize it or not, barring accidents or suicide, most people 40 years or younger can expect to live for for centuries."

More later in the week...But the alliance of "bioconservatives", many of whom helped persuade 'idiot boy' (President Bush) in 2001 to restrict federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research, are 'uniting to oppose the idea of life extension on ethical, moral and ecological* grounds.' A typical quote...
*(yup, You didn't know Bush & the Religious Right are 'ecologists', did ya?)

"There is no known social good coming from the conquest of death". - 'Bioethicist' Daniel Callahan