Is Immortality Real?
This is a question that scientists have been trying to answer for a very long time. This is not immortality as viewed from a religious perspective, but from a biological perspective. Is it possible to extend life indefinitely? Is the answer to that question a tiny invertebrate?
These "scientists" seem to think so.
Currently, the vast majority of creatures' lives are limited by the number of times their cells can divide. This limit is called the Hayflick limit. It was discovered by researcher Leonard Hayflick. Before his discovery it was believed that cells (in culture) could divide indefinitely. Hayflick realized that, over time, structures called telomeres (part of chromosomes that help during their replication and in cell division) would shorten and eventually break down. Using this principle, he was able to place a "maximum" on the life of creatures. For humans, that limit is between 110-120 years. After this point our cells can no longer divide. There is a creature, however, that has found a way around this limit. The Turritopsis nutricula is able to skip death altogether. This tiny little cnidarian may hold the key to extending life, and changing the world as we know it. In this website, I will attempt give an overview of this unique creature, and stimulate some thought into how our future may change. |
Here is what Hayflick found in his research regarding the maximum age of some different organisms.
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5. Hayflick L. The future of ageing. Nature [Internet]. 2000 [cited 2013 April 28];408(6809):267–269. Available from: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v408/n6809/abs/408267a0.html
6. Hayflick L. Cell Biology of Aging. Bioscience [Internet]. 1975 [cited 2013 April 28];25(10):629–637. Available from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/1297030
11. Shay J, Wright W. Hayflick, his limit, and cellular ageing. Nature reviews Molecular cell biology [Internet]. 2000 October [cited 2013 April 28];1(1):72–6. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11413492