Human Longevity Research

Technology refers to applied science. Technological advances occur when scientific discoveries are applied to society's problems. Biotechnology refers to the application of discoveries in the fields of biological research. It encompasses areas of study as diverse as genetics, molecular biology, and immunology. Recent gains in these various scientific arenas will prove to have dramatic implications for each of us.

One subject of ongoing scientific research, for example, is that of aging. Workers investigating the intricacies of longevity are searching for answers to a number of profound questions. What exactly makes us grow old? How can old age and even death itself be postponed or prevented entirely? The research has been likened to a modernday quest for the legendary Fountain

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es." He claims that in the next 30 to 50 years, scientists will identify similar genes in humans. "What we have been able to see with our yeast is a doubling of the life span," Jazwinski says, ". . . that might be something we might aim for [with humans] in the future." (Stolberg 2). The impact on society of a doubling or tripling of the human life span would indeed be tremendous and certainly merits careful consideration. What, for instance, would be the consequences for our already overburdened planet? Would these scientific advances only aggravate such problems as exploding population growth and diminishing natural resources? Would the global economy be capable of meeting even the most basic needs of this new population? Creating a lot of 150year old people that spend the last 50 years of their lives in nursing homes might surely spell disaster for our health care and Social Security systems: extending the length of a life doesn't necessarily guarantee any improvement in its quality. For example, life expectancy in the United States has increased dramatically since 1900: from about 47 years to 75 years. The greatest gains occurred during the first half of this century due to reductions in infant mortality and inf
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Approximate Word count = 1299
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)

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