The Immortality Gene

[Manjusri]

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/563206_439969682684679_619389600_n.jpg\

This right here is Turritopsis nutricula.

It's a small organism found at deep sea depths. The turritopsis nutricula is able to regenerate its cell structure when it reaches and old age, it is able to return to a polyp and restart its life cycle.

I recently read an article on the turritopsis but didn't think of this idea until right now. The turritopsis nutricula is immortal, therefore meaning there is a certain genome with the immortality gene. What if scientists were able to extract that genome, and implant it into an embryo? That organism would then posses the immortality genome.

Now i'm not saying that it would even work, or if it's even possible. Just a random thought i had.

Do you think this is theoretically possible?

If yes, what do you think the process would look like on a human? Would they be able to deteriorate their bone structure, then grow it all back?

Also in case anyone is skeptical to the organism actually being immortal, here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turritopsis_nutricula#Life_cycle) is an article.

[xXJust Jump ItXx]

Ive heard of that jelly fish, its quite amazing and mysterious how it can do that. On a level for humans, we arent simple bodied plankton AKA jelly fish. And we have bones haha, but on a moral aspect too for humans its wrong and its not right to be able to live forever. I wouldnt want to, but I wanna have a long life. Im kinda bad at explaining it but its something.

[HalleyJ]

Human do this in their life time to most of the body. Meaning that you litterally a different person than you were born, you have non of the same cells as then. Except we not immortal, because we are like all mammals smart. Our brains need fuel and that fuel is the things we eat, drink and our wastes are whats left over and that is generally you are when you die, A big poop. You really are the waste product of whats already been used, thats why our brains grow then shrink.

This jelly fish has an incredible abillity to recreate its self, but in a human if this wouldn't work, it would mean you continully regenrate cells. You as a person would die off every day and a new person with a new personallity and no abillity to walk would be created using a recycled body.

[FreeFall]

I feel like someone's already determined to extract that gene and stick it in a mouse.

They gene could possibly be useful for those that suffer from dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa if it could be harnessed to fit a specific need of regrowth. I wonder if it could help the skin regenerate fast enough from when it falls off, that the sores are minimal to non-existent. Or it'll be in the next hair tonics.

[Zarakly]

Im pretty sure we already do that. Like every 15 years or so we have a completely new set of skin and such. Its just not all at 1 time but we still do it. Also I think that theoretically humans are immortal sort of speak. We could possibly live forever but we die due to illness and complications. I don't think we actually die of old age like people say...

[Gigablue]

Im pretty sure we already do that. Like every 15 years or so we have a completely new set of skin and such. Its just not all at 1 time but we still do it. Also I think that theoretically humans are immortal sort of speak. We could possibly live forever but we die due to illness and complications. I don't think we actually die of old age like people say...

Some cells don't divide and thus never get replaced. We replace our skin quite often, but our neurons don't really get replaced. We can't really regrow our whole body.

Also, our cells can't divide indefinitely. They can't pass the Hayflick limit, the limit to the number of times a cell can divide, because the telomeres get too short. Human cells can't lengthen their telomeres, so the cells stop dividing after a time.

[huginnmuninn]

because we don't have enough people in the world? Immortality sounds interesting but it would probably just cause more problems. It probably wouldn't work and even if it did your mind would probably develop some serious problems as a result.

[MisterSix]

only jellyfish and time lords are allowed to do that

[Human]

There's not just one gene which does that, if you were to implant one gene into it the human 'immortal' baby would have to somehow grow smaller and back into a baby, which is impossible because like cooking things it's irreversible .

[PerpetualImperfexion]

Would we be able to use this particular species to achieve immortality? No probably not. Is it possible? Most likely, given all of the things we have yet to discover in the universe. The question is, would you like to live forever? I'm sure there comes a time when all the bullshit just starts to bury you and you no longer want to live....

[Zenos]

Ive heard of that jelly fish, its quite amazing and mysterious how it can do that. On a level for humans, we arent simple bodied plankton AKA jelly fish. And we have bones haha, but on a moral aspect too for humans its wrong and its not right to be able to live forever. I wouldnt want to, but I wanna have a long life. Im kinda bad at explaining it but its something.

Please speak for you're self as an individual,not the rest of us!

If i had the chance to be Immortal i'd jump at it.

[TheBigUnit]

stem-cell research mite be the possible answer

good new to all the overweight ppl, according to the most newest findings, fat cells are able to be manipulated into other cells aka skin, heart etc, all except brain cells research is stilll being done for tht

[Magical]

Lengthen the telomeres, by some way, in cells, and then we could be ageing-immortal!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telomere