Turning back/stopping the clock...would you?

[Nitewaif]

Circa 1986, my high school biology teacher (RIP Ms. Pohnka) made us read some sci-fi story about science advancing to the point that people could reverse aging (and change your looks by genetic alterations) or stop aging at a certain point and live forever. Most people in the story looked like they were in their 20's, with a few choosing to stop the clock in their 30's to look more mature or whatever. Ms. Pohnka swore that within my lifetime, I'd see the precursors of this genetic manipulation, that soon scientists would start trying to map out genes and things would progress from there. She died before the genome project started.

She had us then consider if we'd stop the aging process, change our appearance or talents, or become immortal if we could, along with all the ethical implications of that. A couple of news stories I've read recently made me think of her.

My question is this...how far would you go if the options existed? Change your ethnicity? Stop aging? Live forever? Make yourself taller, more athletic?



'Scuse me if any of this is incoherent babbling...I worked all night and am running on empty. I'll check back and give my .02 later. :zzz

 

[Hooli]

I would remind myself NOT to date the batshit-crazy 5'10" green-eyed blonde who was my buddy's ex. He did warn me after all. :facepalm

 

[DrSwade]

I wouldn't change anything. My life is moving at a speed which I can accept.
I am not exactly vain but I wouldn't mind more hair if I could get it.
Once I can afford some HGH, I might give that a shot but that doesn't qualify as genetic manipulation.

 

[Ezekiel]

I'd be totally against it. We weren't meant to be immortal.
Growing, Maturing, Aging and Dieing, I think it's all necessary and wonderful.
I'm a fan of the CIRCLE of life.

 

[ThumperX]

I sure wouldn't mind being 34 for the rest of my life :laughing

But this is pretty good so no real do overs here.

 

[ALANRIDER7]

I'd do it if and only if I could go back with what I know now.

 

[planegray]

If I had to share my world with a bunch of highly experienced psychopaths ? No thanks

 

[F4iChic]

I wouldn't want to stop the aging or live forever. I would however like to stop the appearance of aging

I need a facelift, and an eyelid lift, and and and. :cry

 

[mike23w]

i don't like meds or surgery, so no.

if it was painless, harmless and no drugs i would do it in a heartbeat; as long as i have the option to go back to my boring self. i want to see what it's like; but i would bet it's not a big improvement.

i hate to think it'd be lake wobegon where everyone looks, thinks and acts the same. uniformity and striving for uniformity is boring.

 

[augustiron]

Stem cells, yo.

The fountain of youth, taken from the bodies of the unborn.

Problem?

 

[VicTim]

I would like to feel more youthful and healthy in old age. A lot of movie stars like Sylvester Stallone use Testosterone to keep younger and more athletic. I think this has its promise but I don't know. I don't want to live forever.

 

[mike23w]

blog post from mark cuban (dallas mavericks nba team owner): Want Your Newborn to be an Athletic Superstar ?

You must save the cord blood from your child’s birth.

Let me clear here. This is not a cure all.

The use of cord blood cells in regenerative applications is still in its infancy (See the joke I made there .

But what I do know that is medical science is advancing rapidly. What will be available to your newborn child in 20 years will be vastly different than what is available today. By banking the cord blood in a private cord bank, while relatively expensive (Do your homework PLEASE before making a decision which bank to use), you will have given your child a unique option that could lead to the latest recovery techniques being available to him or her.

 

[louemc]

If I had to share my world with a bunch of highly experienced psychopaths ? No thanks

:thumbup Really :thumbup.

I don't want to see anymore of what I believe is coming, than I have to.

I cherish the life that I've had, and what it is now, and want to be healthy till the last heart beat.

But, When the lights go out, is just fine with me.

 

[Bay Arean]

I wouldn't mind bein' about 40 for the duration. Still strong, the right amount of horny, a bit smarter, and finally had a clue about equitable interpersonal relationships.

As for things I'd change, no pot smokin. Worst thing I ever did.

To Versystim's post above: testosterone treatments risks blood clots in the legs. Having already had four from m-cycle accident and been told of the impending doom, it's off the table for me. So unless you want to get clots and go on blood thinners, which really, really suck, I'd avoid that temptation. It's bad enough that many pre-diabetics are already clot-prone.

 

[SpeedyCorky]

damn, no one yet has said they'd want to live forever!? granted, its not like you WOULD live forever - you could have a great body of a 20 year old, but if you ride into that cement truck at 60mph - you will DIE. period.

I'd jump at the chance to be able to reverse my aging, back to say maybe 24 years old. thats about when I started to realize my body was starting to age. I could say up later back then, sleep less, metabolism was faster, etc etc being able to age indefinatly might be a bit harsh in that you'd see people around you age, and die off - but hey why be a part of that if you dont have to ?

the real question is, when does the brain start to break down and go crazy? and can you reverse that too? i wouldnt want to look like i'm 20, but be 200, and be obsessed with power rangers because i have alztimers or some other brain degenerative problem.


live to say 200 years old? go ahead and put a few bucks in a savings account with compound interest.... yea. big money. i'll take that AND have a body of a 20 year old still? whats not to like?!


IMO genetic mods like this are the future of humanity. evolution has stopped, and IMO has reversed - future generations seem to be getting less smart, and less fit. genetics is the new form of evolution. only the rich will be able to afford it for a time, but once we get good enough at it, it will become common place and children w/o genetic mods will become the abnormal ones. gattica is the future.

 

[rodr]

:laughing at all these people who say they wouldn't do it.

Hell yeah. Getting old sucks. I'd love to be about 30 forever and know what I know now, and more.

 

[insyder]

blog post from mark cuban (dallas mavericks nba team owner): Want Your Newborn to be an Athletic Superstar ?

My childrens' cord blood is stored. It was cheap and should make for interesting options for them if/when they need it

 

[Caddywumpus]

Slow sure... stop? Nah.

Eventually I will die. I accepted this a long time ago.

 

[corndog67]

Like Bay Arean said, I'd skip all the doping (weed and cocaine), all that shit did was use all my money, and make me stand in the same place for 20 years. And like Alanrider said, if I knew then what I know now......and it wasn't for people not trying. Plenty of people tried to give me the heads up, but I fuckin' knew everything, all that weed was going to enlighten me. Yeah, right.

But, no, I wouldn't want to go back, I don't have any fantasies about re-living anything from my past. Forward, HO.

 

[silverbelt]

I've made alot of mistakes I'd like to go back and correct. Could have some unintended consequences, so maybe not.