I am a non-scientist writing a book and would like to hear some basic
opinions about the possibility of genetically extended life. If a way
could be found to retard the decay of telomeres (these are the ends of
molecular chains the decay of which causes them to unravel?), then
assume that a human lifetime, barring of course major illness and close
encounters with Mack trucks, could be extended to about two hundred
years. Many folks stuck in a previous medical paradigm complain that
the notion is unattractive because one would live the last 120 years
aged and infirm. Of course this is ridiculous because I assume the
entire aging process would be extended, so that 100 years old would be a
healthy middle age.
My question is: under this scenario, how would puberty be affected?
Would one grow to adulthood more slowly? Would the transformational
puberty years be extended? Or do you think the body has a mission to
grow to maturity as quickly as possible without regard to total lifespan
-- i.e. even the pre-puberty childhood growth would remain roughly the
same?
I would appreciate your speculations or your direction to a discussion
on this subject. thanks very much.
Jeff Liss
San Francisco
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