Blogpost 6: Can We Live Forever?

The longest journey that we as human beings will have to go through is the Journey of Life. From the moment we entered this world, we are faced with the most terrifying roller coaster ride. Life has its ups and downs. And as life goes on, things get more complicated. We are no longer a child, but an adult who faces reality. And the one thing that is real, we are all gonna die sooner or later. 

As per Molly Edmonds, the writer of "Can humans live forever?", the idea of living forever might seem like a fairy tale. Some researchers believe that there is a limit on how many years we can live, and the maximum is 125. Aging, dementia and heart disease are just one of the diseases that blocks us from reaching that point. Our body parts wear out from use that's why scientists are focused on how to stop aging occurring within the body. One method that has demonstrably increased the lifespan  is a calorie-restricted diet. To follow this diet, we must cut our caloric intake by 30 percent while still consuming all necessary nutrients. This eating plan has proven difficult for humans to maintain, so researchers are trying to figure out how, exactly, fewer calories lengthen life. Anti-aging pills could also be used to halt the production of free radicals, which are molecules that cause increasing damage within the body as we age. Researchers are also considering whether compounds like resveratrol, which is found in red wine, could be effective in pill form, as resveratrol might have the ability to interfere with the aging process at the genetic level. Some scientists think that telomerase, an enzyme that mends protective coverings on cells, is the answer, while some would-be centenarians have begun injections of human growth hormone, hoping they will stop the body from aging. There are many theories on why we age and how we can stop it, and an anti-aging pill may be decades away, if it ever appears at all.

Molly Edmond said, "We've been raised with the belief that death is inevitable, so we must consider the legacy of what we'll leave behind. But what if you had unlimited time to pursue your life's work? What if you didn't have to die?"

We are all working so hard because when the time has come, we all want to leave a a good legacy. I actually don't agree with the anti-aging pill. Although these pills may slow the aging process, but still we should accept the fact that sooner or later these will no longer be effective anymore. And instead of these pills, why don't we intake vitamins that can make us healthier although we cannot avoid being sick. Death is inevitable therefore we should seize the remaining years to come. 

The second article was written by Chris Wood entitled "Can You Really Live Forever?". He said that a molecular biologist named Dr. William Andrews' company discovered a nutraceutical or knows as TA-65.  It supposedly slows down the aging process in humans by activating an enzyme called telomerase.Telomerase acts on telomeres—simple repeating sequences of nucleotides (the building blocks of DNA) found at the tips of chromosomes that are important to cell division and replication. When telomeres erode away, parts of critical genes remain uncopied, eventually spelling death for the cell. Some scientists think that this telomere erosion is what imposes a limit on our lifespans and causes our health to decline as we age, they also think that an answer to this dilemma might be telomerase activation. Some scientists, like Dr. Andrews, think telomerase activation could be the cure for aging that his company is looking for, and he views TA-65 as a potential big first step in that direction. 

Chris Wood said, "Just keep on living until you meet with a fatal accident. Woo hoo! But… hold on. Turns out we shouldn’t get irrationally exuberant just yet. It might not be such a good idea to activate telomerase, after all—because of the role it seems to play in cancer."

I don't really think that we can live forever. Perhaps these new invented pills can actually slows down the aging process however, these may be cost too much. People who are rich and afraid to die old just like the celebrities and some politicians are willing to buy these kind of pills. There are also some people that are also afraid to die old however, they cannot afford to buy because they have their prioritize in life. While some people accept the fact that there's nothing we can do about aging. They just enjoy the life and they do not care about any matter regarding their lines in their forehead or whatever signs due to oldness. I think we should be satisfied on how long we can live in this earth and  just mind the legacy that we can leave behind.