Google Tech Talks
December, 19 2007
The DNA in our cells consists of not only the well-known 46
chromosomes currently receiving such avid attention from specialists
in sequencing technology, but also a large number of copies of a
relatively tiny, circular DNA molecule inside the "powerhouse of the
cell," the mitochondrion. Among other things, mitochondria perform
the chemistry of breathing - they extract energy from nutrients by
exquisitely regulated chemical reactions that consume oxygen and
create CO2. This vital function depends on the 13 proteins encoded by
the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), as well as on hundreds of proteins
that are encoded in our more famous genome and imported across the
mitochondrial surface after construction in the body of the cell. The
mtDNA accumulates mutant, non-functional variants far faster than our
main genome, so 20 years ago scientists began looking at the idea of
putting copies of the 13 genes of interest into the nucleus after
making modifications that would cause them to be processed by the
same “protein import” machinery that processes the mitochondrion’s
many other proteins, thus making the mtDNA itself superfluous and
mutations in it harmless. I will discuss this concept in detail in my
talk. Progress has been very erratic in the meantime but is now very
rapid, partly because of Methuselah Foundation-funded research.
However, this approach may still prove impossible, so many other,
ostensibly simpler ideas - some more promising than others - have
been proposed, and I will describe some of these too.
Speaker: Dr Aubrey de Grey
Aubrey de Grey is a biomedical gerontologist based in Cambridge, UK,
and is the Chairman and Chief Science Officer of the Methuselah
Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity dedicated to combating the
aging process. He is also Editor-in-Chief of “Rejuvenation Research”,
the world’s only peer-reviewed journal focused on intervention in
aging. His research interests encompass the etiology of all the
accumulating and eventually pathogenic molecular and cellular
side-effects of metabolism (”damage”) that constitute mammalian aging
and the design of interventions to repair and/or obviate that damage.
He has developed a possibly comprehensive plan for such repair, termed
Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence (SENS), which breaks the
aging problem down into seven major classes of damage and identifies
detailed approaches to addressing each one. A key aspect of SENS is
that it can potentially extend healthy lifespan without limit, even
though these repair processes will never be perfect, as the repair only
needs to approach perfection rapidly enough to keep the overall level
of damage below pathogenic levels. de Grey has termed this required
rate of improvement of repair therapies “longevity escape velocity”.
25 responses so far ↓
1 Nederluv // Nov 11, 2008 at 2:54 am
There are solutions to that problem:
- By using stem cell grown meat animal husbandry will become a thing of the past, clearing up a lot of room for housing.
- By building taller buildings.
- By using less space per person for housing.
- By starting to live underneath the Earth’s surface.
- By living on the ocean.
- By living in the ocean.
- By living on other planets.
- By living in space.
By the time we can reverse aging, several of these solutions will be possible.
2 stevekap8 // Nov 12, 2008 at 8:11 pm
Ahh,,, there we have it. Name calling, the sign of true genious.
”
So, you admit de Grey appropriated (read “stole”) the good name of this University, for a good reason. My you never be my lawyer.
As it happens, I’ve done quite many good thinks for people lately, and not one of them involve mis-representing myself, or taking their money. Ciao
3 ianyoutub // Nov 15, 2008 at 6:24 am
Aubrey de Grey proposes that if we manage to eliminate aging then the species will have to make a choice between eternal life or having children. If we lived forever without having children then the population would be static. At the moment, by having children, the population is increasing dramatically. Now, which one is more sustainable?
4 ianyoutub // Nov 16, 2008 at 12:42 pm
You are such a small minded, maladjusted fool. Even if what you say is true, any sane person would not give a fuck whether Aubrey de Grey appropriated the name of a university temporarily in order to achieve greater interest in his work. He has a vision of something magnificent and he is working intelligently to achieve it. What the fuck have you done lately for anyone you malicious little shit?
5 MassNssen // Nov 18, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Even if you could live forever there’s not enough resourses on earth for you and other people who have similar wishes. So you can’t do that, I will have to stop you so I can live my natural max 90 years in peace.
6 kitanzi // Nov 20, 2008 at 4:17 am
i don’t know…but you don’t know either
7 Sprngm // Nov 23, 2008 at 1:43 am
I´d say it depends on how old he/she is now and how fast the progress in this field (it´s a HUGE scientific field) will be…
8 irfanulhaq1 // Nov 24, 2008 at 1:40 pm
thats impossible mate sorry
9 kitanzi // Nov 27, 2008 at 2:28 am
i think every should live as long as they want…and i want to live forever
10 Ronniedasmoker // Nov 29, 2008 at 8:17 am
im 75 will i survive g
11 orthon360 // Nov 30, 2008 at 11:40 am
if you cut off the germline stem cells from a fruit flies gonad. It’s insulin signaling decreases, cuz of the CMD4 protein it produces. That slows aging %20-50%.
12 stevekap8 // Dec 1, 2008 at 6:28 pm
Hi inksterco,
Your usual tactics in a debate like this is to ban and censor. To bad for you, you don’t control this video.
Search “How De Grey fooled the world” and you’ll get my source.
Seems like the debate is down to this, either:
1) De Grey was a computer tech that got from Cambridge for making false claims about his association with the U.
or
2) De Grey was a computer tech that got fired, but he never made such claims.
Either way…whatever
13 inkstersco // Dec 5, 2008 at 3:58 am
Well that’s a lie, but never let the truth stand in the way of a great conspiracy, right?
>greater claims
Name one.
14 stevekap8 // Dec 8, 2008 at 2:12 am
Well, the people that sweep up the class rooms are “in Cambridge”. He was there as a PHD studenet and then a computer tech. He was fired as a computer tech for making greater claims about his relationship with Campbridge. But hey, give him your money if you want.
15 vialium // Dec 9, 2008 at 3:07 am
You are absolutely right.
But I think we need people that can talk to the public, get more people involved with scientific research.
Aubrey de Grey is doing a great job in this.
I don’t think he is a great biologist but he manage to get a lot of money for his cause.
I hope, it will encourage great scientists to work on defeating aging.
16 halneufmille // Dec 9, 2008 at 10:12 am
A nice theorist. The next step is to show us your mice that lived twice as long as normal mice. Science is not just saying “We went to the Moon, the next step is Alpha Centauri, in your lifetime!” It’s doing it.
17 KEMPFORD1 // Dec 10, 2008 at 12:28 am
I am a believer. Rock on Mr. de Gray.
18 DJLorenzen // Dec 10, 2008 at 12:20 pm
17:25 “Bad enough to be interesting”
hoho what a maverick.
Well go for it.
19 stevekap8 // Dec 13, 2008 at 9:26 am
I think everyone should see the vid “How de Grey fooled everyone”. He’s a computer tech from Cambridge that used their websight to appear to be an on staff prof. Thats how this thing got going.
20 degg666 // Dec 13, 2008 at 6:26 pm
hes smart works hard he really does have a great brain.put your faith in science
21 KermitForPresident // Dec 15, 2008 at 12:53 pm
That guy’s got a cool beard. That’s pretty much the only reason I clicked on this.
22 inkstersco // Dec 17, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Actually, being in Cambridge is central to his career, which is based on being well-connected — bringing together various fields, despite not himself being an employee of the uni.
23 flowfx // Dec 18, 2008 at 6:19 am
Nevermind, it sounds great after the first 5 minutes. rock on!
24 flowfx // Dec 21, 2008 at 2:13 am
Was this lecture filmed in the cafeteria? Christ I can’t even focus on what he’s saying with all of the chair/table/pot banging in the background.
25 tyciol // Dec 24, 2008 at 2:05 pm
I second the confusion at the empty seats… and only 2 questions… or really it was more like 1 question, and not even about the treatment but about something mentioned in passing.
I wish I could go to these types of things, Aubrey is my hero.
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