In about 2,000 B.C., Shin-eqi-unninni, the world’s first known author, set down the tale of Gilgamesh on twelve stone tablets. Written in Sumarian Cuneiform, The Epic of Gilgamesh is a legend from prehistoric times in Babylonia [centered in Iraq], and details the escapades of this legendary warrior-king as he seeks to obtain immortality.
Gilgamesh seeks the counsel of Ut-Napishtim, the survivor of the Great Flood [2,000 years before Noah], who was granted immortality by the Gods. Ut-Napishtim resides in ‘Far Away’ [likely the ancient city of Dilmun on the island of Bahrain]. Ut-napishtim tells Gilgamesh that he can achieve immortality by simply staying awake for six days and seven nights. The instant Gilgamesh sets about to meet the conditions, he falls asleep. Ut-Napishtim wakes him up, Gilgamesh is distraught. Ut-Napishtim takes pity on him, and instead of immortality, offers him a secret plant that will make Gilgamesh young again. The plant is at the bottom of the ocean, and Gilgamesh dives for it and resting from his exertions, falls asleep. As he sleeps, a snake slithers up and eats the magic plant. Gilgamesh awakens to find it gone, and falls to his knees, weeping.
Pity poor Gilgamesh. If he had only heard about antioxidants and beta-carotenes, or recombinant DNA engineering. Modern man now has a tentative vision of the over-all aging process from the atomic level to gross morphological and psychological mechanisms. One of the most noticeable aspects of this process is the loss of cells. By age 65, a person loses over 28% of the cells the body needs to stay healthy and vibrant. It is no wonder we look and feel worse as we age. By age 70, a person has lost over 31% of their brain cells. Since the brain controls every part of the body, hormone and immune systems go out of control, resulting in the various ailments we have been told are the ‘normal’ result of aging.
So, what is killing off the cells? As usual, a complex interaction of events on a cellular level. First of all, the genetic blueprint for cellular construction, the chromosome, consists of strands of DNA that are damaged each time the DNA replicates. In essence, the ends of the strands break off, and the basic number of faithful replication cycles is limited to about 50. In a perfect world, this puts an upper limit on Methuselah’s age at about 400.
In addition, through the process of converting food to energy, the body produces undesirable by-products called free radical oxidants. Until about age 25, the body is protected from damage by these oxidants by an enzyme. Thereafter, the body ceases production of this protective enzyme and the oxidants attack and destroy cells and cellular components such as DNA. The mitochondrial DNA [cohabitating with Cellular DNA in each of the body’s cells] is the primary producer of these damaging free radicals. Throw in a little random mutation of cells and DNA by intergalactic radiation and ‘Better Living Through Chemistry’, and you have the recipe for disaster. The ‘inevitable’ process of decay and death.
So, then what are the three major components of a program to interfere with the aging process?
1. Reduce or stop damage to cellular and mitochondrial DNA
2. Reduce or stop damage to cells and DNA from free radicals.
3. Institute the program of interference by age 26.
Is such a program feasible now? The answer is a qualified ‘Yes’. Let’s take a look at the state-of-the-art for life-extending technologies:
DNA REPAIR
It is known that certain sequences of genes on a strand of DNA are responsible for ‘snip&paste’ repairs to long chains of base pairs making up a gene. They ensure authentic reproduction of the genetic code for critical cellular functions. Unfortunately, the repair sequences do not provide for repairing the ‘genetic clock’, produced by the breaking off of the ends of each DNA strand. As was mentioned, after about 50 replications, this damage is significant enough to alter or stop further reproduction. It must be remembered that 70% of the base pairs strung along the DNA strand are useless genetic baggage from our evolutionary history, and are never expressed. Thus, much damage goes undetected before expressed genes are effected.
The Human Genome, all of the chromosomes that make up a person, has finally been decoded. It started falling into place a few years ago when it was announced that chromosome #22 had been completely decoded. Millions upon millions of base pairs [A,G,C, &T nucleotides– the fundamental building blocks of the genes] are laid out on genetic linkage maps, and many of the constituent genes, Homoboxes [identical sequences of a base pair group found on several chromosomes], Introns [sequences that inhibit the expression of a gene in the RNA companion] have been identified. Recently, a gene named T-22 has been identified as a ‘Death Gene’, that inhibits effective DNA repairs. Two techniques are in use for altering the arrangement of base pairs on a strand. The first, Transcriptional Targeting, a gene therapy widely in use as a cancer treatment, focuses on restricting transgene expression in target cells through the use of upstream genetic elements such as cell-specific promoters and/or enhancer elements. The other, Transductional Targeting, can deliver genes to a specific cell through the use of a virus [a Vector] such as Herpes. It relies more on the characteristics of the target cells than on the gene transfer vector itself. The Herpes or Epstein-Barr virus are ideal for delivering foreign DNA fragments to target cells or groups of cells in the human body.
Thus we have the road map for performing desirable alterations to the gene repair mechanism, and through recombinant DNA engineering, the means to accomplish such alterations. By stopping the genetic clock that is ticking away in our DNA, human life span becomes theoretically unlimited.
ANTIOXIDANTS
Much has been learned in recent years regarding the role of vitamins and antioxidants in human health. Billions of dollars change hands every year in the herbal remedy and vitamin business, and consumers are confronted with a vast and confusing array of products. The benefits of antioxidants such as vitamins E&C are well documented, and new, more powerful compound such as nordihydroguaiaretic acid [NDGA] are being discovered and added to our armamentum every day. Taking antioxidant compounds, either through a balanced, healthy diet, or through over-the-counter supplements can lengthen the peak of vigorous life by 25% or more. But delaying further damage by free radicals is not enough. To reverse damage that has already occurred, the diet must be supplemented by cell-builders such as Ribonucleic Acid [RNA], L-phenylalanine and Tocopherol. The trick is to halt or minimize the damage done to cells and DNA by the normal waste by-products of the body’s metabolic processes, and the poisons generated by the mitochondrial DNA in our cells. So much has been written about antioxidants that I won’t belabor the issue here.
Environmental conditions also introduce free radicals into the body. Everything from vehicle exhaust to chemicals in industrial smoke [SMOG] and the respiratory gases of a pine forest. This added load of free radicals can be combated by the addition of massive supplements of amino acids such as cysteine and methionine to the diet. The synthesis and application of a program of nutrition and exercise then completes the regimen for a vital and healthy extended life span.
OTHER FACTORS
A starvation diet quadrupled the life span of laboratory mice. What this experiment really did was demonstrate the importance of the proper metabolic rate to longevity. Remember, the Mitochondria are the ‘energy furnaces’ of the body, and the producers of the majority of free radicals. Like adjusting the fuel/air mixture of an internal combustion engine, the metabolic rate of the cells can be adjusted for peak performance and reduced emissions. The preliminary data suggest a caloric intake of about 1400 calories/day for an average adult. Combine this with a program of vigorous daily exercise [further adjusts metabolic rate] and nutritional supplements to inhibit the development of cellular abnormalities, and we are close to the goal of maintaining a long, healthy peak of vitality.
SPARE PARTS
From the cloning of ‘Dolly’ the sheep, to the growth of pig organs in the lab for use in human transplants, the potential for a vast supply of human spare parts grows geometrically. Recently, the culture of ‘Stem Cells’ in the laboratory, has given rise to the possibility of growing spare organs with absolutely no risk associated with organ rejection in transplant operations. Nearly every organ except the human brain has been successfully transplanted. Stem cells could be cultured in the lab to even grow a replacement brain and nervous system, someday soon. The brain, an organic computer, is susceptible to being programmed and the protein memory elements synthesized. Machines to collect and store the essence of a person’s individuality are at the doorstep, if Moore’s law is still operational, and a digital ‘master’ of the personality stored on magnetic disk or tape is a possibility in the not too distant future. The sensory apparatus required for input/output operations of such machines are just around the corner, technically speaking. Thus, by rigorously applying existing and near-term technologies we can continue our corporal personality and existence indefinitely. Life everlasting. A gift of periodic injections, nutritional supplements, regimented exercise, and organ transplants as required, started at age 26.
IMPLICATIONS
But what does this mean for humanity? Is it desirable to cultivate a class of elite immortals? Given the fact that not everyone will have the wherewithal, discipline or desire to pursue life-extension, there will be those few who are so equipped and motivated. An immortal elite is inevitable. And longevity in and of itself, does not imply wisdom. In fact, due to limitations in the sheer amount of data the brain can store and handle, our immortal will fall far short of being a sage, and will reach the point where learning something new requires forgetting something. A weird sort of mental homeostasis will ensue.
Imagine the social problems in dealing with beings capable of subterfuge and enacting plans that take decades to come to fruition. In whose best interest and for what purpose do they act? Can they aggregate all wealth and power? What about self-perpetuation? Should they be allowed to propagate and slowly erode the diversity of the gene pool? Our social systems are not presently equipped to deal with, or even consider these issues. Yet, we are confronted with an impending reality. The affluent, and perhaps, untouchable immortal.
Have no doubt that within a decade, the geneticists will have within their grasp an optimized human genome, free of inheritable disease and random mutation, capable of replicating faithfully forever. We have little time to adapt our social institutions to the new reality, and impose restraints or at least guidelines on the application and legal basis of human immortality. The uncertainty of death poses interesting new problems, both personally and socially. It requires nothing short of a new philosophy of life.
The Epic of Gilgamesh, while the oldest, is not the best known tale from the past regarding the quest for immortality. It was superceded by the Bible’s Book of Genesis and its story of the expulsion from the garden of Eden. Among other things, it was to keep man from eating the fruit from the tree of life. Is mankind now ready to partake of the fruit? And if we do, what will the consequences be this time?
