So here is foundation of this idea that I had.
I recently learned about a condition called progeria, in which the body ages at an extremely rapid rate - this condition is onset at birth, and so usually comes with a rather low life expectancy. A Google search on the subject will yield further info, for anyone interested. Well, I then heard that there was a treatment being tested which blocked the body's production of the protein whose increased levels triggers the disease. It is thought that the development of a cure for progeria could potentially be the gateway for a medical fountain of youth, which might inhibit the aging process in normal humans.
But, think of the problems which would be caused by the commercial distribution of such a thing. Overpopulation is already a concern for many environmental scientists. Would the potential for great good (imagine where we'd be if Newton, Einstein, Planck, etc. had doubled their lifespans!) outweigh the near-certainty of disaster?
I have seen a case or two, with progeria, and I think it would be good if we can develop a drug. But it may not help much in increasing the normal life span of a person, as progeria is caused by a defect in normal protein, which cause an accelerated wear and tear, while ageing occurs do to normal wear and tear. Again, it is not body alone that cause ageing, but mind too(read brain). I have seen patients not improving, just because they don't want to improve(various psychological reasons).
I do not know much about Newton and Plank, but I do know Einstein retracted whatever he taught and his hardcore disciples took it as "senility". And it doesn't matter much, what others teach, as most people only believe and never think for themselves. New brain is needed to bring forth new ideas, and an old brain will never change.
And if we take the story of dinosaurs, which were the top predators of their time, went extinct, similarly, we the top predators of our time may be nearing a mass extinction(judging from the fact that, countries have to dump food, when half the world is hungry, to keep food prices at a constant level),and so it doesn't matter either way.
I'm aware that the experimental drug being tested now wouldn't increase normal human lifespan, but just thought that the possibility made for a good discussion with some current reference.
I'm with you on the mass extinction thing, as well. I don't think humanity would be erased by such a drug, but I think it would have the potential to make what life was left over quite sucky.
Which way are you leaning here?
Advocate for longevity for the entire human population, or population control through attrition, genocide etc.
Or, benefit just a select few (elite)? Those who can control, or develop such a miraculous discovery, I mean.
I lean more toward the side of nature in this case. In explicit terms, I don't think a drug (if it were found that such a thing existed and was readily producible) to extend the normal human lifespan should be put into mass production.
Consider that mortality is a necessary part of the balance of any ecosystem. When comparing populations between predators and prey (eaters and eaten), any time that the mortality rate of the predator is reduced for some reason you see the tendency of the population to rise, usually drastically lowering prey populations. In a system in equilibrium, the decrease in food supply is gradual enough that predator populations drop sustainably allow both species to survive in this cycle of rising and falling populations. However, if the reduction in prey population is significant enough, it can cause severe damage to the predator's numbers and even result in dramatic behavioral changes leading to the eventual extinction of the animal.
While this is an extreme example that I do not think would necessarily happen in the hypothetical release of a "fountain of youth," I feel that it sufficiently illustrates the havoc that tampering with such often-delicate systems can cause. Also, consider that crime rates tend to rise with population density as well..
So, even if it were made available to all people equally, we'd all live longer lives - but what kind of lives would they be? It's an open question.
by Zarm Nefilin 15 years ago
So what are the opinions of all my fellow hubbers out there on the old "Fountain of Youth" concept.Ya know, the one where we create a means to stay forever young, kinda like the elves in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings book.What do you guys think? Opinions? Is such a regenerative...
by rob_allen 12 years ago
Do you believe in the so called "Fountain of Youth"?There are people who would like to look young forever and they believe that there is such thing as "Fountain of Youth", do you believe that there is such?
by yoshi97 13 years ago
I have seen his recent avatar and I swear it looks 10-20 years younger than his previous avatar. Either Mr. Deeds has found the Fountain of Youth or he has found a process for reversing the process of aging. And as we all are aware that the Fountain of Youth does not exist, we must accept that Paul...
by Kenna McHugh 5 years ago
"There is a fountain of youth. It is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love." -- Sophia Loren
by ptosis 11 years ago
"A constitutional amendment, which requires a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress (or a Convention under Article V of the Constitution) and ratification in three-fourths of all fifty states, would be required." - https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petiti … e/GZQtFSPVCheck out...
by pctechgo 9 years ago
If a "Fountain of Youth" was found, who would own it, be allowed to drink from it? A new class?Let's say a real "fountain of youth was found" or a pill perhaps that taken over time stops the aging process - I mean really stops it. Who get's to drink? Who has the right?...
Copyright © 2024 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. HubPages® is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website.
Copyright © 2024 Maven Media Brands, LLC and respective owners.
As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.
For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy
Show DetailsNecessary | |
---|---|
HubPages Device ID | This is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons. |
Login | This is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service. |
Google Recaptcha | This is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy) |
Akismet | This is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy) |
HubPages Google Analytics | This is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy) |
HubPages Traffic Pixel | This is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized. |
Amazon Web Services | This is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy) |
Cloudflare | This is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy) |
Google Hosted Libraries | Javascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy) |
Features | |
---|---|
Google Custom Search | This is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy) |
Google Maps | Some articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy) |
Google Charts | This is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy) |
Google AdSense Host API | This service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy) |
Google YouTube | Some articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy) |
Vimeo | Some articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy) |
Paypal | This is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy) |
Facebook Login | You can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy) |
Maven | This supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy) |
Marketing | |
---|---|
Google AdSense | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Google DoubleClick | Google provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Index Exchange | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Sovrn | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Facebook Ads | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Amazon Unified Ad Marketplace | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
AppNexus | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Openx | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Rubicon Project | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
TripleLift | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Say Media | We partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy) |
Remarketing Pixels | We may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites. |
Conversion Tracking Pixels | We may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service. |
Statistics | |
---|---|
Author Google Analytics | This is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy) |
Comscore | ComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy) |
Amazon Tracking Pixel | Some articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy) |
Clicksco | This is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy) |