The Immortal Jellyfish

[Guest]

[Editor]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A49887995

Very interesting. So it's already here. Is it transferable? If so, would the gene(s) have to be present at the start of life, or could they be retrovirally fitted? I'm all for a youth rewind button, jellyfish-stylee.

[WA2]

Hmm not sure if I want to go through puberty again!

But this is very intriguing. It's just whether they can identify this new gene, and having done that, transferring it to humans.  Do animals really have to live forever? Not beneficial for us, I wouldn't think, and would the animals themselves actually appreciate it? The problem with immortality in this way is that you ain't gonna die of old age- you're gonna be killed in some nasty way like a car crash or knifing.

[Will]

The age reversal is not automatic; after sexual maturity is achieved, a second factor needs to kick in — a kind of stress. This stress could be, for example, being sucked into a ship's keel as ballast, transported around the world then ejected into a strange new world, or a morbid fear of turtles.

This makes it sound like environment plays an equally important part.  Why is stress required?     

[Editor]

The problem with immortality in this way is that you ain't gonna die of old age- you're gonna be killed in some nasty way like a car crash or knifing.

If it's x⁵⁰ years in the future, then I can handle it...

The age reversal is not automatic; after sexual maturity is achieved, a second factor needs to kick in — a kind of stress. This stress could be, for example, being sucked into a ship's keel as ballast, transported around the world then ejected into a strange new world, or a morbid fear of turtles.

This makes it sound like environment plays an equally important part.  Why is stress required?     

Maybe it's similar to starvation in humans triggerring super-efficient use of food for energy... a kind of hard-wired survival adaptation. I can't wait to see some scientist try to explain why after injecting a guy with jellyfish genes he now has to make him a gimp... just for science, of course!

[WA2]

What really surprises me is- immortality actually exists!?!?

[Editor]

Well, I suppose if we were being pedantic it's not actual immortality (for that we'd have to survive the death of the universe itself), just effective immortality when compared to our pitiful existences.

The key question is how such a discovery can be exploited, if at all? Would our leaders really want proles like us to live forever?

[WA2]

Well no-one can live forever, even if you are some sorta super-duper cyborg!
I think it'll be reserved for VIPs like Bush...phff.