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the 400 year old shark.

I came across this article, which I though was interesting as it the first time I've actually seen a serious proposal for any animal to have a lifespan in the multiple century range. Their is some doubt as to the exact age, and indeed some doubt about the validity of the method, but even the low end of their estimate is still 270 years.



I've shared it here as I think it makes the whole "long vlani lifespans" thing somewhat more plausible.



out of interest, was their ever an explanation as to why pureblood vlani have such long lifespans?.
 
I came across this article, which I though was interesting as it the first time I've actually seen a serious proposal for any animal to have a lifespan in the multiple century range.

There are many animal lifeforms with lifespans estimated to be far past a century:

* Some turtles
* parrots
* Many kinds of sea life...
* These are just off the top of my head...
* If we looked in a proper biological catalogue, I am sure we could find many more...

Check out this article:
External Link: http://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Anagathics

These are some of the best known Terran animals that are thought to possess extremely long lifespans or may contain some of the secrets of anagathics and immortality:
  • Terran Bowhead Whales (Balaena mysticetus), a marine animal from Terra (Solomani Rim 1827).
  • Terran Corals, a marine animal filter from Terra (Solomani Rim 1827), which does not die of old age and exhibits potential immortality.
  • Terran Horseshoe Crab, a saltwater arthropod (animal) from Terra (Solomani Rim 1827).
  • Terran Hydra, a freshwater animal from Terra (Solomani Rim 1827).
  • Terran Jellyfish (Turritopsis dohrnii, or Turritopsis nutricula), a saltwater animal from Terra (Solomani Rim 1827).
  • Terran Planarian Flatworms, an animal form from Terra (Solomani Rim 1827), which does not die of old age and exhibits potential immortality.
  • Terran Sponges, a marine animal filter from Terra (Solomani Rim 1827), which does not die of old age and exhibits potential immortality.

Much like in engineering, the simpler the animal, the less parts that can potentially break down. Giving better odds of long life. If they can survive the environment and competitors.

I bet there are protozoans and amoebas that may have survived for more than a millennia.

Sea life tends to be hardier due to the cushioning effect of water on gravity (we open-air, land animals really get our bones, joints, and limbs beat up, especially necks), greater food abundance (biological density in the ocean exceeds almost anywhere else), a lowered temperature in many cases (cold water tends to preserve life), and at least a dozen other factors.

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.
 
Sea life tends to be hardier due to the cushioning effect of water on gravity (we open-air, land animals really get our bones, joints, and limbs beat up, especially necks), greater food abundance (biological density in the ocean exceeds almost anywhere else), a lowered temperature in many cases (cold water tends to preserve life), and at least a dozen other factors.

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

A major one of which is the added radiation shielding of the water above them - radiation (solar etc) being a significant factor in the degradation of cell-replication accuracy that we call "aging".
 
OK, now I have to ask - what are the odds of a sapient carbon lifeform attaining immortality?

How do you define immortality?

Theoretical Immortality - eg; you don't age, you don't get cancer but if you get hit by a car, get some cytokine storm illness, and similar threats it will still kill you. Ergo, eventually, one of these threats will get you.

True Immortality - Nothing can kill you.

The latter is impossible as I see it - we'd have to get rid of these meat bodies first.

The former is likely possible, especially if there are periodic interventions from outside sources (also known as medical care). I don't see anagathics as being a pill or anything like that. What's more likely to happen is that a species (humans?) reaches some tipping point in the understanding of biology where conditions are being cured faster than they kill people. There's proof that the Ancient Egyptians knew about cancer. However, it wasn't the huge life-ending terror it is now, not because we're getting cancer more often now but because were other things that were killing us sooner and more often. Now that many of these threats that killed us in the past are being managed much better, people are living long enough to be struck down by cancer as opposed to other causes. Even as the current crop of human killers are being cured, new ones and more likely old ones that weren't a big problem before will become the primary killers now that they have no competition will become the new killers. Eventually, they'll be cured, only for another set to crop up. This will go on for a while, but eventually our knowledge of biology will get to the point where we're finding solutions faster than people are dying to those problems, at which point we'll have achieved theoretical immortality and the last killers will be things like physical violence or diseases that get us too quickly to be managed.

I bet there are protozoans and amoebas that may have survived for more than a millennia.


Single-celled lifeforms that reproduce by binary fission (dividing) are by definition immortal. When an amoeba divides, which one is the "original"? Unless you define these lifeforms as "dying" when they divide (to be replaced by two identical offspring), they're immortal. Some of these lifeforms do have "spore" forms which aren't really the "same" being so a population in an area might die, but apparently there are lifeforms that don't spore so they'd be immortal by definition.
 
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In my opinion, nil.

I'm probably among the few people that feel reassured by this, for philosophical reasons.

How do you define immortality?

Theoretical Immortality - eg; you don't age, you don't get cancer but if you get hit by a car, get some cytokine storm illness, and similar threats it will still kill you. Ergo, eventually, one of these threats will get you.
That's the one.

True Immortality - Nothing can kill you.
I'd argue that that's Unkillable, not Immortal, but that's besides the point.

The former is likely possible, especially if there are periodic interventions from outside sources (also known as medical care).
Yeah, I wasn't asking about that. I was thinking more about the example of the flatworms;).

I don't see anagathics as being a pill or anything like that.
I guess that would depend on the setting.

What's more likely to happen is that a species (humans?) reaches some tipping point in the understanding of biology where conditions are being cured faster than they kill people.
That's also a possible approach. It is definitely a possible one in Mindjammer Traveller, for example, where you can get rejuvenation instead of anagathics (which aren't guaranteed to work on your specific case).

There's proof that the Ancient Egyptians knew about cancer. However, it wasn't the huge life-ending terror it is now, not because we're getting cancer more often now but because were other things that were killing us sooner and more often. Now that many of these threats that killed us in the past are being managed much better, people are living long enough to be struck down by cancer as opposed to other causes. Even as the current crop of human killers are being cured, new ones and more likely old ones that weren't a big problem before will become the primary killers now that they have no competition will become the new killers. Eventually, they'll be cured, only for another set to crop up. This will go on for a while, but eventually our knowledge of biology will get to the point where we're finding solutions faster than people are dying to those problems, at which point we'll have achieved theoretical immortality and the last killers will be things like physical violence or diseases that get us too quickly to be managed.
If we haven't destroyed ourselves before then, you mean.
But yes, I can see that happening. The effect of what is, basically, "mass anagathics" on society is bound to be profound, though:D!
 
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