04-27-2014, 12:25 AM
The article also talks about potentially rejuvenating people using stem cells cashed from earlier in their life. I also wonder about possibly cloning those cells to make even more or if that would impact the cells the same as aging. Beyond this, while this article only talks in terms of blood, I wouldn't be surprised if someone figures out how to apply some similar 'rejuvenation' technique to cells and organs.
In OA, early life extension technology probably used a combination of bionano, genetically engineered organisms, and some number of medications to perform a sort of whole body 'cellular surgery' to replace/repair damaged stem cells and organs from the micro to the macro. There were certainly limits on this such that people lived longer (even with regular treatments), but not indefinitely. As the tech progressed, the theoretical length of a persons lifespan would have increased, until just before the nanodisaster, well off people might have anticipated living for centuries or longer (even without uploading) and even middle class people were probably confident of a couple of hundred years or more of healthy life.
Of course, then the ND happened and the technology of rejuvenation was first corrupted and turned into a weapon of mass murder and then lost, leading in turn to mass death as people were suddenly reduced to pretty much baseline lifespans.
After the rise of the Federation, and having learned a lesson about relying on ongoing tech applications for life extension, people turned to gengineering to produce future generations with greatly increased lifespans (an unagumented neb in y11K can live for about 500yrs before needing any 'help' to deal with aging). Combined with new tech advances like onboard nanomedical systems, functional immortality eventually became the norm although statistically people usually average between 1000 and 2000 yrs before something kills them sufficiently dead to require restoration from Backup or maybe just removes them permanently (depending on the circumstances).
Todd
In OA, early life extension technology probably used a combination of bionano, genetically engineered organisms, and some number of medications to perform a sort of whole body 'cellular surgery' to replace/repair damaged stem cells and organs from the micro to the macro. There were certainly limits on this such that people lived longer (even with regular treatments), but not indefinitely. As the tech progressed, the theoretical length of a persons lifespan would have increased, until just before the nanodisaster, well off people might have anticipated living for centuries or longer (even without uploading) and even middle class people were probably confident of a couple of hundred years or more of healthy life.
Of course, then the ND happened and the technology of rejuvenation was first corrupted and turned into a weapon of mass murder and then lost, leading in turn to mass death as people were suddenly reduced to pretty much baseline lifespans.
After the rise of the Federation, and having learned a lesson about relying on ongoing tech applications for life extension, people turned to gengineering to produce future generations with greatly increased lifespans (an unagumented neb in y11K can live for about 500yrs before needing any 'help' to deal with aging). Combined with new tech advances like onboard nanomedical systems, functional immortality eventually became the norm although statistically people usually average between 1000 and 2000 yrs before something kills them sufficiently dead to require restoration from Backup or maybe just removes them permanently (depending on the circumstances).
Todd