Studies of people who lived to be over a hundred seem to show that they are far less susceptible to things like cancer and diabetes, so yeah kinda.
Long lifers seem to run in families. So genetics seem to play a role. Anyone ever read about Lazarus Long, a Heinlein character, who was the world's oldest man, a product of the Howard Foundation, started in the 1800s and who would pay people from long life families to get married and have kids? Sure, it was sci fi, but still some great stories about Woodrow Wilson Smith, aka, Lazarus Long.
I'm inclined to think it's likely. The disparity in life spans (and general health) between my mother's side of the family and my father's side is quite striking. They both have large extended families, and the people on my mother's side were (and are) prone to numerous ailments, both minor and major, and seldom lived past their 70s. On the other hand, you can not kill the people on my father's side of the family. Well, one exception - many of the males apparently had a gene that predisposed for heart problems, and several of them died young of heart disease. But as a rule of thumb, anyone in that family who didn't drop dead of a heart attack by age 50 or so generally lived in perfect health into their late 80s or early 90s. They very, very rarely even caught colds, and just kept on chugging away until they fell over. Could be coincidence, but nevertheless I've found it notable over the years. It apparently had nothing to do with lifestyle choices, because the people on my mother's side all tended to be health and exercise nuts, whereas my father's family smoked like forest fires and drank on the high end of "moderate" all their lives. And the only exercise they got was getting up to change the TV channel, which means that once the remote was invented and mass-marketed, they got no exercise at all. To me, that strongly suggests some sort of genetic component, although I can't rule out the possibility of a statistically improbable coincidence.
I doubt there is a 'longevity gene' because it's not logical to have one. Would it be like a clock set to give a human x-number of years of life? If so, what determines the 'x'? It makes sense to fix any genes that will cause mental and physical birth defects, for example, making sure the gene for the number of legs on a person equals two. Do we have genes which are predisposed for cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc. or are these mostly a by-product of our environment and lifestyle? I don't see a gene which automatically allows humans to live to age 150 or whatever number...
I enjoy the Lazarus Long character, but I don't think that sort of selective breeding could deliver people with life spans in the 250 year range.
Yes. My family mostly dies in their late 70's. I know people whose family mostly die in the 90-100 range and I do not observe any particular behaviorial/habits difference between such families.
Granny says, "Dat's right - Gen. 6.3 says 120 years... Limit to human life may be 115 (ish) Wed, 05 Oct 2016 - Our life spans appear to be limited to about 115 years, according to US scientists.
Perhaps if we adapted the outer shell of an alligator and metabolism of a slug we could live much longer...short of this compromise I doubt our organs are designed for much more than we see today. Researchers should be studying Keith Richards...
Granny says she don't wanna live so long her mind goes - Uncle Ferd says too late... Humans May Already Have Achieved Longest Lifespan October 05, 2016 - A new study concludes that in parts of the world, we literally may be living as long as humanly possible.
Agree. But wasn't that a different universe the story started off in? Might have it confused with another story, another author. But no, I would never think such an unnaturally long life is possible with breeding for longevity. If it were possible, the long life gene might produce only sociopaths, or village idiots. A long life idiot would be intolerable. Might not be a single gene, but a series of genes make the person not likely to get heart disease, cancer, diabetes, with a strong immune system. My grandparents lived to be upper 90s but the oldest at death was almost 100 by a couple months so he died at 99. So if you get the right mix, you tend to live longer And that mix can be passed on. But I do not know if the mechanics on such a thing are possible. Know so little in this field.
I always thought Time Enough for Love was his best book I've been reading lots of things that say we should be immortal, given we cure the aging process and most diseases. You mean Walt Disney is in that Freezer for nothing? Larry Niven's Ringworld series explores the idea that you might be able to selectively breed for lucky people. The problem there is that there might be a disagreement between what is our definition of luck and that of the Universe.
Agreed. About the book that is. I think it's his best work. He later went off the rails and although his later books could be enjoyable, they were a bit nutty. Teela Brown was bred for luck, but it wasn't her luck, it was the human race's luck. She had a pretty crappy end.
Yeah, what Mike says. If you have a good set without the common problems, you avoid having the common problems. Add in better living conditions that reduce or eliminate other problems and medical advances to correct mechanical damage and lifespans get longer.
Sequoia lives 2000 years. From the needles of sequoias you can make the elixir of longevity. Interesting report about how cloned a Sequoia: [video=youtube;Lua6y5yVPho]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lua6y5yVPho[/video]
I'm guessing if a person lives long enough...they will eventually have cancer. Sure there are a few who will defy the odds but I'm talking about our average humans...
Scientists: Aging is a disease that can be stopped or, at least, slowed... Researchers Have Found a Way to Delay Aging A new study by Lomonosov Moscow State University and Stockholm University focuses on the role of mitochondria in the aging of organisms; According to researchers, the study opens the way to the treatment of aging with mitochondrially targeted antioxidants.
Instead of 'longevity genes' how about genes we know about that present the human body and mind with hurdles/obstacles which can negatively effect our health? Or how about how we abuse our bodies with alcohol, drugs, tobacco, obesity, poor nutrition, lethargy, etc.? Our organs are only capable of so many miles and when it's service time there can be some repair or complete replacement...biological or bionics. The brain is the big problem I suspect so good luck with this...
