I’m sure most of us have thought about the question, “If we could live longer, would we want to?” Such a question has just been a fantasy for most until recently. Scientists have created a cocktail of drugs that almost doubled the lifespan of worms. Even though human bodies are a lot more complicated than the worm’s body we are making small strides in the direction of extending human lifespans. Who knows maybe in a couple years everyone will have the opportunity to live to a 100+.
There are many countries around the world that are facing problems with their populations ageing and such strides could help boost their populations. This cannot only allow people to live longer but it can also provide a better quality of life for some. The team administered combinations of two or three compounds that targeted the different ageing pathways in C. elegans. The results showed that a combination of two drugs in particular extended the mean lifespan of the worms more than each drug individually. When the drugs were combined with a third component they almost doubled the lives of the C. elegans.
Researchers also discovered that the treatments had no adverse affects on the worms and that they actually were healthier. I think that such advances in biochemistry can lead to massive benefits for humans. This study shows great potential for future human ageing intervention. This not only could help in increasing lifespan but maybe we help us battle diseases like arthritis, cancer, or Alzheimer’s disease. The next step of this study is to see how it can be applied to the human body and brain.
Posted by: Katarzyna Mosio (3)
This is really interesting and I can't wait to see what they do with this process in humans. I am concerned however due to some of the other implications of everyone having an increased lifespan, as well as to the accessibility of these medications. This doesn't seem like something that would be accessible to everyone and I therefore worry that it could provide unfair advantages to some and not others. What do you think about this?
ReplyDeleteAlexandra McGuire
Yes I definitely agree that this could not be accessible to everyone and therefore would only be advantageous for some! There could also be complications due to these increased lifespans. I think that there has to be a lot more research put into this before it can be put on the market.
DeleteKatarzyna Mosio
This is an interesting topic but it brings me to the question of whether steps would have to be taken to limit population size. There is already for lack of a better word overpopulation of Earth so if the older generations are living longer, how would we combat possible no space left? I hope if this becomes a thing they would answer these many questions that would arise.
ReplyDeletePosted by Danielle Bermingham
Although there may be populations struggling with numbers, there are also populations in which overpopulation is a serious problem. A drug like this, if ever made available commercially to humans, could result in an even more extreme case of over population resulting in food deprivation and lack of other important resources. While the science is cool, the implications could be devastating.
ReplyDeletePosted by Jamie Downer
This is a very dreamy, but frightening, topic! Humans have struggled with accepting their mortality since the beginning of time! Although this is very interesting research, I cannot help but think of the consequence of allowing humans to use drugs such as these. Disregarding ethics, Earth's agricultural land is only sustainable for a population of about 10 billion people. Considering there are almost 8 billion people currently inhabiting Earth, this drug could be a serious disaster. However, maybe this drug could be beneficial for endangered species, so as to help restore their lost population.
ReplyDeletePosted by Hayley Fecko
I think that this is a very important issue that would have to be discussed before even thinking about implementing this drug into the human population. I don't see this kind of drug being completely plausible with humans but i think that it is a good idea for endangered species. This could really help restore their populations and keep them alive.
DeleteKatarzyna Mosio
Very interesting and also very frightening! It's crazy to think that we are so technologically advanced that we can begin manipulating an organism's life span. Have they only done this study with the worms or are other, more complex, species being tested as well, and undergoing the same results?
ReplyDeletePosted by Josha Cruz
I still can't perceive how certain compounds could increase life span for human beings. Is it some biochemical antioxidant type of compound that neutralizes free radicals? Like you said worms are a lot more simply organized compared to humans. I thought the current human population is slowly increasing the life span because of improvements in vaccinations, medicines, disease combatants and overall easier lives. If these conditions get better for us, naturally we would live to a riper age.
ReplyDelete- Posted by Priya Bikkani.
What sort of compounds would be used to increase the life spans of the worms used in this research? I've heard that repairing telomeres would not only length life spans but keep youthfulness. Would this type of drug ensure that? I'm also curious as to which countries would be interested in using these compounds. With the growing population of the earth, would this sort of product be beneficial to both our society and planet?
ReplyDeletePosted by Jamie Courtney