Unconventional medicine of the future: will technology to give people immortality
Throughout the history of mankind has never stopped looking for two things: the means for immortality and a panacea for all ills. Many people think that today we are close to solving age-old problems. Whether so it and whether modern technology to give us eternal life or at least substantially extend?
Scientists and businessmen are making serious efforts to find an effective remedy for aging. Annually declared several "revolutionary" methods, which turned out to be a PR or a way of earning money.
According to statistics, in 2018 only anti-aging mankind has spent about 43 billion dollars and the search for the "elixir of immortality" is actively continuing. The online edition of Wired has prepared a selection of the most unusual ways to save mankind from old age, death and disease, the absurdity of which you will be able to evaluate themselves.
Despite the fact that cryogenic technology is already widely used to preserve bodies in many countries, and people pay a lot of money for a place in a special capsule, from the point of view of official science, the prospects for this assurance of immortality is very slim. Ways that can restore the vital functions of the body after a deep freeze and there is not guarantee that it will appear in the future also no.
Despite this, the strong of this world continue to hope that through the decades of their ailments to learn to heal and then the body will be thawed and breathe life into it. Among these optimists PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, Russian transhumanist Alex Sumycin and scientist ray Kurzweil. The latter is confident that the problem of aging will be solved by 2050.
For those who do not want to wait for favors from science in the future and freeze themselves for decades, there is a "light-version" of cryopreservation, which is called a cryosauna. In this case the human body in 3 minutes, immersed in liquid nitrogen with a temperature of -100 degrees Celsius.
Not too pleasant procedure, in the opinion of its loyal supporters, have to destroy malignant cells and damaged by the disease and unhealthy lifestyle tissue, reduce inflammation and enhance regeneration. Also, the adepts of the cold are sure that with such a strong cooling improves immunity and metabolism in the body. As in the case of kryzanowski, no serious scientific basis for this technology there.
All over the world are being developed in the field of bionic prosthetics and artificial organs. Scientists and manufacturers have made significant strides in their field, creating a reliable artificial heart and a variety of artificial limbs with high functionality. Many dentures that are sensitivity as the living hands and feet.
In spite of this to say that the replacement of limbs and organs – is the path to immortality is not necessary. Even if we theoretically assume that science can fully replace the human body, the seat of his consciousness that determines personality – the brain, to replace unlikely. And if that happens, can we assume that the object with an artificial brain in which "transplanted" to the human mind, is a person?
Electronics is good, but people somehow closer to the idea that to preserve youth you can take some kind of pill. This idea is heavily exploits the many charlatans, and in addition, on the issue of beating and a lot of major research centers.
The most promising are the development, built around the mysterious enzyme NAD+. This substance, which exists in every human body and animal plays an important role in the metabolism, and protect neurons and cells of the body from aging. With age the concentration of NAD+ is reduced and some pundits believe that again "charging" the human body, the enzyme that can reverse signs of aging.
Of all the ways mentioned above, this is the most realistic, as tested on laboratory mice, and in some cases helped them to rejuvenate. But we need to look at the truth, from success with small rodents, to make full use of the drug in medicine is a long way and it is not the fact that it will be passed. Therefore, all those who today offers anti-aging drugs, can be considered by default crooks or crazy.
As we can see ways to ensure immortality lot, but none of them have not brought to mind. I'd like to believe that the opportunity to preserve youth and health for an infinitely long period of time will appear in the near future, but experts are for this reason maximally skeptical.
Keywords: Immortality | Biology | Genetics | Modern technology | Aging | Scientists