Immortality could be a lot closer than you think.  Science has been working hard to find ways of keeping the mind and body alive long past its ‘use by date’ and experiments are still being undertaken to find that little piece of eternal magic that will keep us all going ad-infinitum.

Unlocking the Genetic Code
We have an enzyme within us called telomerase and it is through the degradation of this enzyme over time that we age. We all accept aging as one of our natural life processes yet science is now coming to the conclusion that aging, including wrinkles and all other associated signs of advancing years are nothing more than a defect in our genetic code. There are a number of plants and animals that don’t age, they merely succumb to the environment or disease to see them off, so why do humans? Science is now looking at ways of keeping our telomerase levels even, which would mean not only would we live longer we would never suffer the frailties of aging. The answer is there somewhere in our genetic code, it’s just a case of unlocking it.

Backing Up the Brain
Would you fancy having your mind uploaded into a mainframe? Backing up all of your thoughts and memories so that they can be retained forever? It does still sound a little fat fetched, the stuff of sci-fi movies but it is something that is currently being worked on. One of the greatest stumbling blocks in making this a reality is that the brain stores information in a totally different way than a computer. The brain is organic and flexible and the computer is well, rigid and linear; yet scientists are keen to bridge the gap and come up with a working and sustainable neural interface mechanism.

Nanotech Repair
Microscopic machines known as nanobots could be injected into your bloodstream and sent to work repairing the body on a cellular level. Nanotechnology already exists and microscopic nanobots have been used to repair the ocular nerves in blind test subjects; namely laboratory hamsters. Research is currently underway to develop nanobots that could seek and destroy cancer cells and repair cell damage. The science is fairly sound, though the timeframe for this kind of technology being put to use is sketchy at best.

Cloned Body Parts
Whilst the cloning of an entire human body is something that no one has tried as yet – or at least that is what we are told; it is believed to be quite possible. Many people die as a result of organ failure and the long wait for a donor organ to be available, but if we could successfully clone organs we would be going a long way towards extending the longevity of the human race. However there is some debate about the ethics and morals in the creation of a cloned body purely for the supply of replacement parts for the living. So the idea, however plausible, has a lot of ethical issues to clear first; well it does in the western world as experiments are already underway in China.

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