[Super Mario]

In our lifetime it is very possible scientists will reach a point that they will discover how to rejuvenate a person or keep a person looking 30 years old indefinitely. If you could afford the genetic revamp would you do it on a regular basis?

[MacosNerd]

Nah, the way this world is going, I'd rather live a happy content life and in the end go to meet Jesus.

[ghporter]

I voted "yes", but I'll also point out that there are a lot of ways to stay "young" and healthy without genetic tinkering. Eating right, not getting too much sun, and staying mentally and physically active are all things we can do NOW. Even just starting that sort of thing now can help one feel years younger and actually reverse some deterioration that is attributed to "aging."

As for "getting younger," I could stand to be "30-ish" for quite a long time. But there are some real hurdles. Cartilage is HARD to regenerate, let alone regenerate properly, and that's a major issue for a lot of people, not just older people. And then there's the problem of "permanent cells" like neurons and heart muscle cells, which do not (cannot) replicate. If someone finds a way to turn on replication in either neurons or heart muscle, they'll win a bunch of Nobel prizes-and make the whole world healthier.

[Super Mario]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

Cartilage is HARD to regenerate, let alone regenerate properly, and that's a major issue for a lot of people, not just older people. And then there's the problem of "permanent cells" like neurons and heart muscle cells, which do not (cannot) replicate. If someone finds a way to turn on replication in either neurons or heart muscle, they'll win a bunch of Nobel prizes-and make the whole world healthier.

They'll be able to grow replace bodyparts in a lab. Exactly the same as your originals and then replace the old bits. I completely believe some of this will happen in our lifetime. I also believe our generation is the last that will experience baldness. It is a very interesting time to be "alive". I want to be 30-ish for hundreds of years and have thousands of girlfriends

See, with ideas like that we can end terrorism. They no longer have to jihad themselves to get their heaven and 72 virgins. They just need to go to work, save money, pay for rejuvenation, live long and get much more than 72 chicks.

[design219]

You left off Live Fast and Die Young.

Yeah, I know that's so 20th century.

[el chupacabra]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

And then there's the problem of "permanent cells" like neurons and heart muscle cells, which do not (cannot) replicate. If someone finds a way to turn on replication in either neurons or heart muscle, they'll win a bunch of Nobel prizes-and make the whole world healthier.

These are adult organs, most adult organ cells don't replicate...but can be replaced with stem cells. In the past decade or so we have found that the brain and muscle do in fact have a stem cell bank that can replace muscle and neurons. In muscle tissue we call these adult stem cells "satellite cells". The deterioration of stem cells in our body is one of the reasons we age.

[ghporter]

Actually, most organs' cells DO replicate-you can donate 3/4 of your liver and in a year you'll have a full-sized liver again-and the recipient will too! But in particular neurons and myocardium cells do NOT replicate. Those two areas are where researchers are working hardest. If they can understand why stem cells turn off and specialize, they hope to be able to cause adult cells to revert back to a less specialized state and fix things.

[Teronzhul]

There can be only one.

[Kerrigan]

The world is already overpopulated. The third world are breeding like rabbits upon their own faeces and I'd rather not live to see the day that the US becomes North Mexico and Europe is West Turkey. So no, I think I'll be happy to kick the bucket before the 22nd century.

[Super Mario]

Originally Posted by Kerrigan 

The world is already overpopulated. The third world are breeding like rabbits upon their own faeces and I'd rather not live to see the day that the US becomes North Mexico and Europe is West Turkey. So no, I think I'll be happy to kick the bucket before the 22nd century.

If scientists were able to make you people live five times longer would you accept a law that banned pregnancies for twenty year periods? In other words, there would be a mating season every 20 years.

[LegendaryPinkOx]

Originally Posted by Super Mario 

If scientists were able to make you people live five times longer would you accept a law that banned pregnancies for twenty year periods? In other words, there would be a mating season every 20 years.

Heh, I know too many crazy young women, hell bent on having children in their early 20's. I can't forsee anyone stopping them short of manditory surgery.

[Chuckit]

They would probably be in less of a hurry if they knew they were going to be in their 20s forever. Then again, maybe not. Girls are weird.

[Captain Obvious]

What good is looking young forever when the leading cause of death is not old age? Unless you can cure cancer and reverse heart disease 100% then looking young isn't going to be of much use.

Without issues like this being addressed first voting "yes" is moronic.

[Super Mario]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

Girls are weird.

I swear I found out the secret of women that men have longed to understand. It was there under our nose. Everything girls do is just to impress their friends. It's not for us, or parents, or themselves. It's only to impress their friends. Is there a stem cell that can make female thinking logical?

[Super Mario]

Originally Posted by Captain Obvious 

What good is looking young forever when the leading cause of death is not old age? Unless you can cure cancer and reverse heart disease 100% then looking young isn't going to be of much use.

I reckon positively that those will be curable in our lifetime. Falling off a building or getting run over by a car I don't know.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by Captain Obvious 

What good is looking young forever when the leading cause of death is not old age? Unless you can cure cancer and reverse heart disease 100% then looking young isn't going to be of much use.

Some people believe those diseases are age-related. Those people are called "doctors."

It wouldn't be 100%, but keeping people young forever could strike a real blow against many kinds of cancer and heart disease.

[Captain Obvious]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

Some people believe those diseases are age-related. Those people are called "doctors."

It wouldn't be 100%, but keeping people young forever could strike a real blow against many kinds of cancer and heart disease.

Pff....

Overall, environmental factors, defined broadly to include tobacco use, diet, and infectious diseases, as well as chemicals and radiation cause an estimated 75% of all cancer cases in the United States. Among these factors, tobacco use, unhealthy diet, and physical activity are more likely to affect personal cancer risk. Research shows that about one-third of all cancer deaths are related to dietary factors and lack of physical activity in adulthood.

And pretty much any source you search for will yield similar opinions.
The longer you live the more exposure and risk a person undergoes. Slowing the aging process would not stop or reverse factors like these. Unless you can force people too eat better, exercise, and stick them in a bubble where exposure to other risks can be controlled you won't be saved from cancer by having the appearance of youth.

[Kerrigan]

Could you imagine the massive anxiety and depression people would have? With each passing decade your friends die off, you keep working a 9to5 job to pay your bills, you keep trying and failing to overcome the limitations of your ability, all the while knowing that one day you will have to end your genetic therapy, tantamount to suicide.

You may look young, but I think the experience would be much worse than old age.

[Super Mario]

Originally Posted by Kerrigan 

Could you imagine the massive anxiety and depression people would have?

And all the shagging in between

With each passing decade your friends die off

I want to outlive every ahole I ever met!

you keep working a 9to5 job to pay your bills you keep trying and failing to overcome the limitations of your ability

What about every 20 years re-educating, learning new subjects and working in new fields you never imagined you would do and would never have the time to do if you lived a shorter life?

all the while knowing that one day you will have to end your genetic therapy

You could choose the end the therapy one day and look back on all the shagging

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by Captain Obvious 

Pff....

Overall, environmental factors, defined broadly to include tobacco use, diet, and infectious diseases, as well as chemicals and radiation cause an estimated 75% of all cancer cases in the United States. Among these factors, tobacco use, unhealthy diet, and physical activity are more likely to affect personal cancer risk. Research shows that about one-third of all cancer deaths are related to dietary factors and lack of physical activity in adulthood.

And pretty much any source you search for will yield similar opinions.
The longer you live the more exposure and risk a person undergoes. Slowing the aging process would not stop or reverse factors like these. Unless you can force people too eat better, exercise, and stick them in a bubble where exposure to other risks can be controlled you won't be saved from cancer by having the appearance of youth.

The current concept of cancer holds that cancers generally strike older people because of a buildup of insults to the cells that eventually overwhelm the mechanisms that maintain and repair DNA during mitosis. Of course these insults com from all sorts of places, including environmental (chemicals, tobacco, UV radiation, etc.), and most importantly lifestyle (bad eating habits - to include eating foods treated with nasty chemicals like the nitrates in some cured pork, excessive cholesterol and so on; lack of exercise; and a nasty habit of ignoring when we don't feel right).

One very common precursor to cancer is prolonged, chronic inflammation. Inflammation, such as from atherosclerosis, can lead to cell changes that eventually become irreversible and then become malignant.

The key here is understanding how cells decide to repair themselves or give up and die-this is called apoptosis. When a cell goes bad, it should automatically die, but sometimes that mechanism fails-often due to the genes that control it being damaged. Being able to figure that out would also have applications to understanding cell specialization, and that would help us figure out how to get cells to regress toward stem cell status. It's all related.

[Kerrigan]

Originally Posted by Super Mario 

You could choose the end the therapy one day and look back on all the shagging

Oh you're one of these "glass half-full" types. You clearly don't belong on MacNN

Speaking of, imagine how many posts people would have if they lived for 500 years.

[el chupacabra]

Originally Posted by Captain Obvious 

What good is looking young forever when the leading cause of death is not old age? Unless you can cure cancer and reverse heart disease 100% then looking young isn't going to be of much use.

Looking young isn't as appetizing. But what about feeling young until the day you die? Even if I die at 50 of cancer I'd like to die surfing and sky diving with the energy and feeling of a 20 year old.

And heart disease is usually age related. Young people produce the chemicals and enzymes capable of neutralizing fats and cholesterols. As people get older their senescent (damaged/aged) cells can't handle this anymore, in many cases older people will actually produce harmful cholesterol even with a healthy lifestyle.

Age is believed by some to be the effect of the immune system's defense against precancer cells. Cells aren't particularly good at repairing damage to themselves. when a cell is damaged too much it needs to be killed and replaced or have its functions taken over by another cell (such as the brain). If we find a way to replace senescent cells we should be able to use the same technique to cure cancer.
We can replace damaged nerve cells with stem cells (links below); this should easily be applicable to "aged" tissue treatment in the future.
Stem Cell Injections Repair Spinal Cord Injuries in Mice
Stem Cell Transplants Help Repair Spinal Cord Injuries in Rats
ScienceDaily: Novel Stem Cell Technology Leads To Better Spinal Cord Repair

Something I just thought of; we have already been able to increase the lifespan of mice by about 30% by duplicating a gene that neutralizes free radical particles; which are cancer causing molecules derived from sugars, fat and an inefficient mitochondrion. They behave like CFCs in the atomostphere only decaying under special cercumstances...

[Super Mario]

The time of the Highlander comes.

[Big Mac]

"This is better than rejuvenation."

[Kevin]

You forgot the

"Yes, I want to live long, look young, and have lots of "fun", die, meet Jesus and Jam to some mean tunes. "

Option.

Everything isn't so black and white!11

[Super Mario]

Originally Posted by Kevin 

You forgot the

"Yes, I want to live long, look young, and have lots of "fun", die, meet Jesus and Jam to some mean tunes. "

True for some. True for some. The other option would have been "I want to live long enough to beat the Kevin's post count if that is possible"

[lpkmckenna]

Originally Posted by Super Mario 

If scientists were able to make you people live five times longer would you accept a law that banned pregnancies for twenty year periods? In other words, there would be a mating season every 20 years.

Oh yeah, a tyrannical government is a great idea!

Would I like to be heathy as a 30 year old for my whole life? Sounds good to me.