Death makes life possible.

[Kura Ookami]

I'm not sure where this is most appropriate. Mods and admins, if this isn't the right place feel free to move it.

I've been doing some research on apoptosis. It's a fascinating subject. Apoptosis is programmed cell death. Cells die because they want to The cell carefully reverses the birth process: It shrinks, destroys its basic proteins then it goes on to dismantle it's own DNA. Bubbles appear on the surface membrane as the cell opens itself to the outside world and expels every vital chemical. Finally the cell is devoured by the bodies white blood cells exactly as they would swallow up an invading microbe. When the process is complete the cell has dissolved and leaves no trace behind.
The thing is apoptosis isn't a way to get rid of sick or old cells as you might suppose. The process was critical in our birth. In the womb each of us had tadpole tails, fish like gills, webbing between our fingers and surprisingly too many brain cells. Apoptosis takes care of all of these. A newborn baby forms proper neural connections by removing the excess brain tissue which we are all born with. The destruction of brain cells through apoptosis came as a surprise to neurologists who believed that killing off brain cells was a pathological process associated with aging.
Apoptosis doesn't end in the womb. Whenever a cell detects that its DNA is damaged or defective it knows that the body will suffer if the defect is passed on. Fortunately every cell carries a poison gene known as p53 that can be activated to make itself die. Each cell dies for its own specific reason. Skin cells die so our skin can remain supple while stomach cells die as part of the potent chemical combustion that digests food.
Now, what is the biggest killer in the world? I'm not certain, but i think it is cancer. Cancer is the opposite of apoptosis. The body is capable of producing cells that decide to live forever, to decide not to trigger p53. And by refusing to issue their own death warrant a cell can divide relentlessly. Thus cancer is the bodies vacation from death while programmed cell death is its ticket to life. This is the paradox of life and death
Death is something we have depended on from the very beginning to give us life. It's a constant cycle of renewal as our cells surrender completely to the plan. It is the plan that keeps us alive. Every cell takes the plan with it as it dies and yet the plan surivives. I find it impossible to be a materialist with the knowledge of programmed cell death.
All the great religions advocate surrender and we've got a perfect example in our own bodies. Perhaps the secret to life is to live like a cell?

[chaostheory]

What you forgot to mention is that we are all born with all the cells we will ever have. Every 10 years the entire body regenerates itself ( including bones ) through cell division. Unfortunately, since we make no new cells, what we are doing is essentially making a copy of a copy each time. As life progresses and DNA is damaged, copies are still made, but each is less perfect than the one before. By the time you reach your 60's-70's, the cells that form our vital organs are so damaged that there will come a point when this splitting is no longer possible. That's why cells die. Not just because they feel like it. In case you doubt this, please watch National Geographic's Inside The Living Body: Birth to Death.

[Vorhidin]

That's Beautiful.

[Mayo]

Yep as chaostheory said you got new body every few years, that is called recycling. Well you are consciously new person every few years excerpt the conscious memories you have that stay, the old things you believed in the youth are gone, the old techniques and knowledge is gone and replaced by new one that is usually better than the old one. Well you must die in some point, you must have a rebirth at some point.
That is why people who don't kill old habits and deteriorated wrong knowledge are nagging and do more harm than good. They stay the same and the world around them evolves and is reborn every new day.. they stay behind and are only with their old habits a nag to others who are continuing to evolve Not that old is bad but if you don't upgrade to that old knowledge you are obsolete to the community and instead of being helpfull to others you are burden to others, of course i am not talking about elders or other challenged persons but about mid-30,40 able bodied persons who had chosen not to surpass old habits and adapt to the new world.

All things must die, but it's up to you to be reborn....

[Boreas]

So what we need are cells that don't age and don't replicate?

[Mayo]

Originally Posted by Boreas

So what we need are cells that don't age and don't replicate?

You must understand that mitochondria are the nuclear power plants of our cells, our heat is produced besides that of the friction of the fluids, muscles and in lesser extent neural transmissions the biggest heat producer. All that is material has wear and tear.

If we are again at the topic of age prolongation then we are entering mechanical terms of "parts replacement" where you will have to replace most parts of the body(again death of body) and you will never be able to exist in the same body, only thing that has problem of replacement will be the brain, the "box" where our conscious self is temporally stored.

[Uplift]

Bruce Lipton's observations and discoveries about cells and DNA are interesting.

[Mayo]

Originally Posted by Uplift

Bruce Lipton's observations and discoveries about cells and DNA are interesting.

Yep, most illnesses are result of our dis balanced conscious and subconscious mind.

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by Mayo

You must understand that mitochondria are the nuclear power plants of our cells, our heat is produced besides that of the friction of the fluids, muscles and in lesser extent neural transmissions the biggest heat producer. All that is material has wear and tear.

If we are again at the topic of age prolongation then we are entering mechanical terms of "parts replacement" where you will have to replace most parts of the body(again death of body) and you will never be able to exist in the same body, only thing that has problem of replacement will be the brain, the "box" where our conscious self is temporally stored.

So then cancer cells eventually die? This seems to be in conflict with what Ookami originally said...

[Mayo]

Originally Posted by Boreas

So then cancer cells eventually die? This seems to be in conflict with what Ookami originally said...

Cancer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by Mayo

Cancer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I cannot find the information in that article to answer the question if a cancer cell deteriorates or ages.

Moreover, I cannot find a reason why a cell wouldn't be able to repair itself without dying...

[Mayo]

Originally Posted by Boreas

I cannot find the information in that article to answer the question if a cancer cell deteriorates or ages.

Moreover, I cannot find a reason why a cell wouldn't be able to repair itself without dying...

Chronological age is not same as biological age. You can have for example a peace of metal left in the desert and in the corrosion accelerator for a year. In that same year you will see metal plate in the desert severely bruised by the sand but nothing in comparison to the corrosion accelerated plate that will look like it was not one year old but few thousands years of age and will disintegrate in your hands. Cells are expendable and don't have good auto repairing system. Actually are like rechargeable batteries (dumbing here to the bones) that have certain life span and after mitochondria(the cold fusion engine of the cell) gets on the verge of making more harm than good the cell decides to get disintegrated.

The free radical theory of aging

[Niki]

Life makes death possible.

[Uplift]

Originally Posted by Niki

Life makes death possible.

Yes!!! Classic!!!