Biological Immortality
For more than a century, we’ve managed to add an average of 0.3 years to our life expectancy every year. But what would happen if we had the technology to add a year of life expectancy every year? In theory, we would achieve biological immortality, having reached ageing’s “escape velocity.”
But what is Aging’s Escape Velocity?
Imagine a sign far off in the future with a number on it that represents the age of your death. Every year that you live, you advance closer to the sign. When you reach the sign, you die.
Now imagine a rabbit holding the sign and walking to the future. Every year that you live, the rabbit is half a year as far away. After a while, you will reach the rabbit and die.
But what if the rabbit could walk at a pace of one year for every year of your life? You would never be able to catch the rabbit, and therefore you would never die.
The speed at which the rabbit walks to the future is our technology. The more we advance technology and knowledge of our bodies, the faster we can make the rabbit walk.
Ageing’s escape velocity is the moment at which the rabbit walks at a pace of one year per year or faster, and we become immortal.
Researchers with an eye to the future, claim that we’ll reach this escape velocity in a matter of decades. Other scientists are less optimistic, predicting that we’ll reach a limit, a maximum age we won’t be able to surpass, no matter how much technology we have. For example, some biologists assert that our cells stop regenerating after about 120 years.
Thanks for reading, As always,
ANKURJIT KALITA
But what is Aging’s Escape Velocity?
Imagine a sign far off in the future with a number on it that represents the age of your death. Every year that you live, you advance closer to the sign. When you reach the sign, you die.
Now imagine a rabbit holding the sign and walking to the future. Every year that you live, the rabbit is half a year as far away. After a while, you will reach the rabbit and die.
But what if the rabbit could walk at a pace of one year for every year of your life? You would never be able to catch the rabbit, and therefore you would never die.
Ageing’s escape velocity is the moment at which the rabbit walks at a pace of one year per year or faster, and we become immortal.
Thanks for reading, As always,
ANKURJIT KALITA
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