Re:Physics Makes Aging Inevitable, Not Biology (2016)
by saalweachter on Wednesday February 21, 2018 @10:55AM
(#16430322)
So I think it's helpful to think about aging and death on two levels: cells and organisms.
Organisms age and die when their cells age and die. An organism can not age and die by either replacing its cells as fast as they die, perfectly, or by having cells that don't die.
Why do cells die? The article presents two views: either they are programmed to, for biological reasons, or they just break down over time, because engineering is hard and physics is a real mother.
It'd be real convenient for us if it was the former, because humans aren't built to have all our cells constantly replaced throughout our life, but this article makes the argument that programmed cell death is unlikely and physical wear and tear more plausible.
Organisms age and die when their cells age and die. An organism can not age and die by either replacing its cells as fast as they die, perfectly, or by having cells that don't die.
Why do cells die? The article presents two views: either they are programmed to, for biological reasons, or they just break down over time, because engineering is hard and physics is a real mother.
It'd be real convenient for us if it was the former, because humans aren't built to have all our cells constantly replaced throughout our life, but this article makes the argument that programmed cell death is unlikely and physical wear and tear more plausible.