#SciChallenge2017 -Unzip the secret to immortality
1. UNZIP THE SECRET TO IMMORTALITY
ANGELIKI SAVVA
ANDREA STYLIANOU
CHRISTINA CHRISTOFIDOU
2. WHY DO PEOPLE LOVE THE IDEA OF LIVING FOREVER?
TO MAINTAIN A FULLY FUNCTIONAL
AND YOUTHFUL HUMAN BODY FOREVER.
TO HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO DO EVERYTHING
THEY HAVE EVER DREAMED OF!
TO AVOID THE SADNESS OF LOSING
LOVED ONES.
TO HAVE PLENTY OF TIME TO TRAVEL
THE WORLD
3. TO MEET MANY GREAT
PERSONALITIES THROUGHOUT THEIR
LIFETIME
TO HAVE THE CHANCE TO STUDY
WHATEVER SUBJECTS THEY WANT AND AS A
RESULT, BECOME RICHER IN KNOWLEDGE.
THEY WILL NOT HAVE TO BE AFRAID OF DEATH TO TRAVEL AND EXPLORE THE UNIVERSE.
4. THEY SAY THE ONLY CERTAIN THINGS IN LIFE ARE DEATH AND TAXES.
WHAT IF THEY ARE WRONG?
DEATH IS CAUSED WHEN CELLS INSIDE OUR BODIES LOSE THE ABILITY TO REPAIR
THEMSELVES. AFTER HAVING DIVIDED SEVERAL TIMES, THE CELL GOES INTO SENESCENCE.
THIS IS CALLED THE HAYFLICK LIMIT AND EVENTUALLY THE CELL DIES. IN SOME SENSE,
EVERY CELL HAS A BIOLOGICAL CLOCK DOOMING IT TO DIE.
6. NANOTECHNOLOGY COULD MAKE HUMANS IMMORTAL BY 2040
SCIENTISTS IMAGINE HORDES OF NANOBOTS FLITTING AROUND YOUR BODY AND
PATCHING CELLS UP, MAKING THEM AS GOOD AS NEW. THEY WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO
REPAIR DAMAGED ORGANS, EFFECTIVELY WIPING OUT DISEASES. THEY WILL ALSO BE
•ABLE TO BACK UP OUR MEMORIES.
•THE NANOBOTS WILL BE SELF-REPLICATING, AND ENGINEERS WILL HAVE TO
HARNESS AND CONTAIN THAT REPLICATION.
•THE NANOBOTS COULD HELP YOU LOOK AND FEEL 21 FOREVER!
7. TELOMERASE INJECTIONS
AS YOU GET OLDER, OLD CELLS ARE REPLACED BY NEW ONES WHICH DIVIDE AND MAKE A
COPY OF THEIR DNA. THE PROBLEM IS THAT AFTER REPLICATING A CERTAIN NUMBER OF
TIMES, THE ENDS OF THE DNA GET SHAVED OFF, ESSENTIALLY DEGRADING YOUR GENETIC
MATERIAL AND PHYSICALLY AGING YOU. TELOMERASE IS THE WONDER PROTEIN THAT CAN
ELIMINATE SOME OF THE CONTRACTION OF THE CHROMOSOMES AND EVEN LENGTHEN
THEM.
8. CELL THERAPY
YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OF A GROUP OF CREATURES THAT ARE ALREADY
IMMORTAL. THERE ARE ORGANISMS LIVING ON THIS PLANET THAT DON’T PLAY
BY THE SAME RULES THAT WE DO AND ARE EFFECTIVELY IMMORTAL. SOME OF
THEM ARE:
HYDRA ZOA
PLANARIAN FLATWORM
NAKED MOLE
RAT HETEROCEPHALUS
GLABER
REGENERATING
FLATWORMS
9. SCIENTISTS HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT WHAT THESE CREATURES HAVE THAT WE
DON’T. THEIR THEORY IS THAT WE MUST CONTINUALLY TARGET MANY DIFFERENT
FORMS OF AGING AT A MICROSCOPIC LEVEL. WHILE THE LOBSTER REPAIRS ITS
DNA TO EXTEND ITS LIFE, THE JELLYFISH USES STEM CELLS TO REGENERATE. IT
SEEMS THAT ANIMALS ARE ABLE TO DEVELOP MECHANISMS BETTER THAN
HUMANS. SO BY PICKING AND MIXING FROM THE IMMORTAL ANIMAL KINGDOM AND
ANALYZING INDIVIDUAL CELLS OR HOW TISSUES AGE, WE CAN MANIPULATE SOME
OF OUR CELLS IN ORDER TO BECOME IMMORTAL.
11. ‘TURRITOPSIS DOHRNII’ IS THE JELLYFISH THAT BYPASSES DEATH!
• IT IS FOUND IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA.
• IT IS BIOLOGICALLY IMMORTAL.
• IT IS BELL-SHAPED WITH A MAXIMUM DIAMETER
OF ABOUT 4.5 MM.
• ITS MAIN DIET USUALLY CONTAINS FISH EGGS,
PLANKTON AND TINY MOLLUSKS.
• IT DOESN'T DIE BUT TRANSFORMS ITSELF BACK
INTO ITS JUVENILE POLYP STATE.
12. LAVRAE
FORMS
DEVELOP INTO
POLYP COLONIES
(HYDROIDS)
HYDROIDS BUD
NEW JELLYFISHES
BECOMING
SEXUALLY
MATURE
BELL-SHAPED
MEDUSA WITH 80-90
TENTACLES
FERTILIZED
EGG
THE ‘RE’CYCLED LIFE OF IMMORTAL JELLYFISH
WHEN IT IS
THREATENED,
INJURED OR
UNABLE TO FEED,
IS TRANSFORMS
BACK TO A
JUVENILE POLYP.
IT ATTACHES ITSELF AND
TURNS INTO A SORT OF
LIVING BLOB. ITS CELLS
WILL INCUR A PROCESS
CALLED
TRANSDIFFERENTIATION.
ITS BODY SHRINKS
AND IT IMMERSES TO
THE OCEAN FLOOR
AND REPEATS THE
CYCLE ALL OVER
AGAIN.
THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN!
13. MIND UPLOAD
ANOTHER WAY TO ACHIEVE IMMORTALITY IS TO ‘’UPLOAD’’ YOUR MIND. BEING ABLE TO
THINK ABOUT THINGS IS ALL THAT REALLY MATTERS. SO YOU CAN LIVE FOREVER AS LONG
AS YOU DON’T MIND NOT HAVING A PHYSICAL BODY. SOME SAY BY THE 2023 WE SHOULD
HAVE ENOUGH COMPUTING POWER TO EASILY EMULATE THE HUMAN BRAIN. ‘’THE ULTIMATE
GOAL OF MY PLAN IS TO TRANSFER SOMEONE'S PERSONALITY INTO A COMPLETELY NEW
BODY,“ DMITRY ITSKOV SAYS.
14. WHY WOULD IT BE A CATASTROPHE IF PEOPLE WERE ABLE
TO LIVE LONGER, OR EVEN BECOME IMMORTAL?
• OVERPOPULATION, BECAUSE THE POPULATION WILL
ONLY INCREASE, SO NO BALANCE
• LACK OF RAW MATERIALS. RAW MATERIALS ARE
LIMITED.
• NO SOCIAL PROGRESSION
• GLOBAL DECAY
• RELATIVE TIME REDUCTION
• POLLUTION DUE TO THE FACT THAT MORE AND MORE
PEOPLE WILL LIVE ON THIS PLANET
15. A BLESSING OR A CURSE?
• WE MAY NOT HAVE EMOTIONS IF OUR BRAIN IS TRANSFERED INTO A MACHINE
• WE WON’T HAVE THE INSTITUTION OF FAMILY AND SOME TRADITIONS WILL BE
ABOLISHED
• PEOPLE MAY NEED TO BE STERILIZED OR BE LIMITED TO HAVING ONLY ONE CHILD
• IT IS AGAINST THE LAWS OF MOTHER NATURE
16. WHO WILL BE THE LUCKY ONES?
o SHOULD ONLY “SMART” PEOPLE ACHIEVE IMMORTALITY?
o HOW ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE “SMART” IN ARTS, DANCE OR MUSIC?
o IF THE TREATMENT WILL BE PROHIBITIVELY EXPENSIVE SHOULD ONLY THE
EXTREMELY WEALTHY BE ABLE TO BE IMMORTAL?
o WHAT ABOUT THE PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT RICH OR THEY HAVE PHYSICAL
PROBLEMS?
17. IN CASE WE DON’T FIND OTHER ECOSYSTEMS TO INHABIT,
WHAT IS THE POINT OF BEING IMMORTAL WHEN WE ALL
KNOW THAT OVER THE NEXT BILLION YEARS THE SUN WILL
EXPLODE AND LIFE ON EARTH WILL CEASE TO EXIST?
IMMORTAL REFUGEES?
