In the Year 2000

Just finished reading an article about a tumor that alters the length of the telomeres in a persons DNA. More specifically the ones that control "whether you live or die".

Unfortunately for people suffering PanNET, the extra long telomeres are what keep cancerous genes alive even when they are malfunctioning horribly. That's why it's probably more appropriate to call these cells undead rather than immortal. Yes, they're alive, but they're shambling along and trying to replicate and replace every other cell with a version of themselves.

http://gizmodo.com/5817507/a-tumor-that-could-provide-the-key-to-making-zombies
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/early/2011/06/29/science.1207313.abstract

There is talk amongst people and scientist about the potential uses of this finding. Some speculate that this could allow scientists to pick which genes to block and thus cease the aging of the cells. This is all pure speculation of course and a therapy that would be applicable in humans would not be around for quite sometime, to say the least.

This raises the question, would you want to live forever, or even to be 200 year old. What if you could afford it but you significant other could not?

Personally not for me.

Considers this though too. The amount of innovation that has happened in the last 100 years alone is astonishing. The early 1900's where home to basic cars, the Model T wasn't invented until 1908 and with that the basis for mass production. The Wright Brothers first powered flight wasn't until 1903. There was no short wave radio. Teabags where invented in 1904. All these things are taken for granted now. Think about how much will change in the next 100 years. Computer technology expands at an exponential rate and medicine will get better. It will be interesting to see what things are taken for granted in the future and what are luxuries.

This all assuming that the Mayan Prophecies don't come true on December 21, 2012.

-Stephen

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