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Lasers - The New Mythical Gift Of Fire
Copyright 2005 by Doug Smith In Greek mythology, the Titan Prometheus gave the gift of fire to Humanity. It provided warmth, light, and energy. Whether or not you believe that myth, humanity has learned to concentrate that light into beams of...
Sex or Gender - Part I
Alan Pease, author of a book titled "Why Men Don't Listen and Women Can't Read Maps", believes that women are spatially-challenged compared to men. The British firm, Admiral Insurance, conducted a study of half a million claims. They found that...
Should We Fear Death?
Death is not something that many people want to think about.
However, death is a part of living a human life. At least, our
current level of science and technology acknowledges that death
is inevitable.
Is death something to be afraid of or...
The Fourth Law of Robotics - Part II
Note - Godel's Theorems The work of an important, though eccentric, Czech-Austrian mathematical logician, Kurt Gödel (1906-1978) dealt with the completeness and consistency of logical systems. A passing acquaintance with his two theorems would have...
Wholistics
I have yet to see a scientist talk about the impact of time viewing in any article. It will ensure the continuing exponential growth in knowledge. I think it is quite possible that this has been part of what has unleashed Pandora’s Box already and...
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Programmed life
Does aging happen by chance? Is aging the breaking down of an organism till the latter eventually stops working?
According to Valter Longo’s latest research, which was published in the September 27 edition of the Journal of Cell Biology, aging is a programmed process. For Longo’s part, aging is supposed to ensure the premature death of the majority of a population.
The dead will then consequently provide nutrients for the sake of a few individuals who have acquired genetic mutations. (Think of yeast rather than big complex mammals.) These mutants are more adapted to their environment than the other ‘normal’ organisms. Therefore these ‘sacrificial’ deaths increase the chances of reproduction of the mutants as the latter will have more nutrients to feed on.
Now Charles Darwin may not be very happy with Longo’s theory. Darwin’s natural selection happens at individual level. The better suited to its environment an organism is, the more probable that it will reproduce. This ensures that the species changes or evolves over time as such type of reproduction brings genetic changes to the offsprings. This makes the offsprings more adapted to their ever-changing environment.
Longo’s theory however rests on the group selection theory. Many scientists think that this theory is incorrect. The latter proposes that selection happens not at individual level but at group level instead.
Longo’s research is mainly based on the observation of programmed aging in yeast. Scientists have used yeasts because
the molecular pathway that regulates its longevity is similar to other more complex organisms like mice and possibly humans.
The results of this research are surprising. Yeasts, which were studied died well before they were supposed to in order to provide nutrients for those yeasts within that same population which have acquired genetic mutations. In short, many millions of yeasts died early to suit the few better-adapted mutant yeasts. Can this process happen in humans as well?
“If aging is programmed in yeast and the latter’s molecular pathway is very similar to human’s, then isn’t it possible that humans also die earlier than they have to?” said Valter Longo.
Apart from the possibility that we might have been wrong in sticking with Darwin’s all-too-known theory for so long-provided Longo’s theory is proven to be correct- gerontologists (scientists studying the aging process) are now conjecturing that aging may actually be healed.
It seems easier to tweak the programming in a computer than to try to replace part after part in an old car that is steadily collapsing.
For Valter Longo, most organisms undergo programmed longevity. Is life therefore supposed to be programmed?
About the Author
Khalil A.Cassimally is the editor in chief of Astronomy Journal and Astronomy Journal Ezine. He is also the co-founder of the RCPL Astronomy Club.
He is currently Senior Columnist at BackWash.com and Columnist for bbc.co.uk h2g2 The Post where he writes 'Not Scientific Science' column.
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