A kidney donor at 18 now regrets it • Hacker News Board

Re: A kidney donor at 18 now regrets it

#21

Post by avar » Mon, Oct 03, 2016, 8:09 PM UTC

There's some down-thread armchair speculation about why humans have two kidneys. I found it interesting, but instead of conniving my own theory did some searching.

The gist of it is that nobody seems to know, but the most simple explanation is that lateral symmetry is common in general because it's more efficiently encoded in the DNA. The organs & structures that don't come in twos are the odd exceptions, not the other way around.

1. https://www.quora.com/Why-is-it-that-humans-(and-many-animal...

2. https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/po4v6/why_did_w...

Re: A kidney donor at 18 now regrets it

#22

Post by maxerickson » Mon, Oct 03, 2016, 8:13 PM UTC

rcthompson wrote: post #12

To be fair, there's lots of other organs in your body that are already single points of failure. Regardless, there's probably a reason we evolved with two kidneys. My personal theory (i.e. I have no idea if there's any actual research on this hypothesis) is that before humans discovered cooking, agriculture, sanitation, etc., there were a lot more diseases and toxins and such in the food we ate, so the organs respons…

Keep in mind that fish also have 2 kidneys and 1 liver.

(humans have much else in common with fish: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chordate )

Re: A kidney donor at 18 now regrets it

#23

Post by buckbova » Mon, Oct 03, 2016, 8:15 PM UTC

labster wrote: post #18

snake117 wrote: post #15

My physiology professor told our class to never donate, especially at our age group (18-23). His presentation included some of the complications listed in the article. However, his reasoning was straightforward: Assuming a long lifespan, if you are in the position with your only kidney failing, you're screwed. He was speaking generally of course. Not every situation has an easy solution and Poulson took a noble route…

Assuming a long lifespan, if you are in the position with your only heart failing, you're screwed.

And the article mentioned increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

>Another study that same year raised the possibility that they may face a heightened risk of dying of cardiovascular disease ...

So there you go.

Re: A kidney donor at 18 now regrets it

#24

Post by pavel_lishin » Mon, Oct 03, 2016, 8:22 PM UTC

danso wrote: post #11

I admire the author's selflessness. At the same time, it seemed easier to be selfless as a teenager, probably for similar reasons for why it's easier to draft 18-year-olds than it is 28-year-olds. Given young persons willingness to sacrifice for the greater cause without realizing that life extends well past your 30s and 40s, I wonder if more shouldn't be done to let young donors think of the risks, so that their naï…

I've considered offering to be a kidney donor. Now that I have a kid, I'm glad I didn't - what if my kid needs it? What if my wife does?

Re: A kidney donor at 18 now regrets it

#25

Post by linkregister » Mon, Oct 03, 2016, 8:24 PM UTC

M_Grey wrote: post #20

linkregister wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I can't understand any other context for drafting 18 year olds other than taking advantage of their youth and incomplete development 18-year-olds have been volunteer recruited and drafted for perhaps the entire history of organized armies. Child soldiers also have (and in some countries still are) enlisted also. I suspect this is only out of extreme necessity, as the moral and practical drawbacks are overwhelming.…

It's hardly bizarre, but it's not put in terms of cortical development either. It is however a bit of, "Give me a girl at an impressionable age, and she will be mine for life." Ignoring that reality, and why 12 year olds are more likely to pick up a machete than a 30 year old, is what's bizarre.

Is it true that 12 year olds are more likely to pick up a machete than 30 year olds?

Re: A kidney donor at 18 now regrets it

#26

Post by jsprogrammer » Mon, Oct 03, 2016, 8:24 PM UTC

danso wrote: post #11

I admire the author's selflessness. At the same time, it seemed easier to be selfless as a teenager, probably for similar reasons for why it's easier to draft 18-year-olds than it is 28-year-olds. Given young persons willingness to sacrifice for the greater cause without realizing that life extends well past your 30s and 40s, I wonder if more shouldn't be done to let young donors think of the risks, so that their naï…

Are shootings and murder common in all neighborhoods? Isn't it correct to strongly associate a neighborhood with shootings and murder if you are repeatedly visiting the neighborhood due to a shooting and/or murder?

Re: A kidney donor at 18 now regrets it

#27

Post by M_Grey » Mon, Oct 03, 2016, 8:34 PM UTC

linkregister wrote: post #25

M_Grey wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's hardly bizarre, but it's not put in terms of cortical development either. It is however a bit of, "Give me a girl at an impressionable age, and she will be mine for life." Ignoring that reality, and why 12 year olds are more likely to pick up a machete than a 30 year old, is what's bizarre.

Is it true that 12 year olds are more likely to pick up a machete than 30 year olds?

In a general context, or in the context of what we're talking about here? In general, I don't know, in context... yes. You can get most kids on board with almost anything, and those you can't, you can generally abuse or otherwise force to submit. They're not set in their ways, they don't have as clear a sense of the world, and their impulse control usually stinks.

There's a reason that everyone, for better or worse, wants to get to kids early, and often. Advertisers, religions, people trying to teach kids how to deal with advertisers and religions, militaries, etc... all see the value in "getting them young."

Re: A kidney donor at 18 now regrets it

#28

Post by pavel_lishin » Mon, Oct 03, 2016, 8:36 PM UTC

labster wrote: post #18

snake117 wrote: post #15

My physiology professor told our class to never donate, especially at our age group (18-23). His presentation included some of the complications listed in the article. However, his reasoning was straightforward: Assuming a long lifespan, if you are in the position with your only kidney failing, you're screwed. He was speaking generally of course. Not every situation has an easy solution and Poulson took a noble route…

Assuming a long lifespan, if you are in the position with your only heart failing, you're screwed.

So don't donate that, either.

Re: A kidney donor at 18 now regrets it

#29

Post by sidlls » Mon, Oct 03, 2016, 8:37 PM UTC

linkregister wrote: post #25

M_Grey wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's hardly bizarre, but it's not put in terms of cortical development either. It is however a bit of, "Give me a girl at an impressionable age, and she will be mine for life." Ignoring that reality, and why 12 year olds are more likely to pick up a machete than a 30 year old, is what's bizarre.

Is it true that 12 year olds are more likely to pick up a machete than 30 year olds?

Humans are beastly, violent primates with marginal cognitive advantages over our cousins. Empathy is learned. I don't know if a 12 year old is more likely to kill than a 30 year old, but the former certainly has had much less social normalization toward empathy than the older one, other things being equal.

Also kids are easily guided to do just about anything. They're easily impressed and even the brightest lack the experience to temper their judgement of what is a good idea versus what isn't.

Re: A kidney donor at 18 now regrets it

#30

Post by danso » Mon, Oct 03, 2016, 8:37 PM UTC

jsprogrammer wrote: post #26

danso wrote: post #11

I admire the author's selflessness. At the same time, it seemed easier to be selfless as a teenager, probably for similar reasons for why it's easier to draft 18-year-olds than it is 28-year-olds. Given young persons willingness to sacrifice for the greater cause without realizing that life extends well past your 30s and 40s, I wonder if more shouldn't be done to let young donors think of the risks, so that their naï…

Are shootings and murder common in all neighborhoods? Isn't it correct to strongly associate a neighborhood with shootings and murder if you are repeatedly visiting the neighborhood due to a shooting and/or murder?

You can say that a neighborhood has more shootings/murders than other neighborhoods. What I'm talking about is the phenomenon of thinking of that neighborhood just in terms of those incidents, because that's all you ever hear about them. You aren't there for the 99.9% of the time when things are mundane.