Blood from young animals can revitalise old ones • Hacker News Board

Re: Blood from young animals can revitalise old ones

#71

Post by jraby3 » Thu, Jul 13, 2017, 11:46 AM UTC

Majestic121 wrote: post #66

alevskaya wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn't be quite so worried. If the effects truly do end up being due to soluble signalling factors in the younger blood (and not immune cell implantation or some other physiologic quirk of the cross-wired parabiosis experimental setup that won't transfer to non-inbred humans) then those factors will be synthesized in bioreactors and made into a synthetic plasma product - that's also the only likely way to make mo…

That's the only likely way to make money for a legit therapeutic company, but before we have the technology to manufacture young blood cheaply and massively, I think kidnapping people and forcing them to give their blood can be done cheaply and be cost effective for a mafia. I mean, that's already what they do with sex workers

Why kidnap? Why not just offer $20 per pint and sell it for $200?

Re: Blood from young animals can revitalise old ones

#72

Post by simias » Thu, Jul 13, 2017, 11:47 AM UTC

Majestic121 wrote: post #66

alevskaya wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn't be quite so worried. If the effects truly do end up being due to soluble signalling factors in the younger blood (and not immune cell implantation or some other physiologic quirk of the cross-wired parabiosis experimental setup that won't transfer to non-inbred humans) then those factors will be synthesized in bioreactors and made into a synthetic plasma product - that's also the only likely way to make mo…

That's the only likely way to make money for a legit therapeutic company, but before we have the technology to manufacture young blood cheaply and massively, I think kidnapping people and forcing them to give their blood can be done cheaply and be cost effective for a mafia. I mean, that's already what they do with sex workers

Rich people may think twice about injecting "shady" blood into their veins though. I mean, many seem fine to do it with intravenous drugs but at least you won't find AIDS-laced heroin.

I think it might make more sense for super rich people to pay people directly to give them their blood, which is morally questionable but maybe not particularly worse than, say, paying for a surrogate mother? It sounds a lot less traumatizing at least, both physically and psychologically. After all many people do donate their blood for free several times a year.

I'm pretty sure you could convince many young people to give up some of their blood for a pretty cheap price actually. No need to resort to kidnapping and slave farms.

Re: Blood from young animals can revitalise old ones

#73

Post by rothron » Thu, Jul 13, 2017, 11:54 AM UTC

jraby3 wrote: post #71

Majestic121 wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's the only likely way to make money for a legit therapeutic company, but before we have the technology to manufacture young blood cheaply and massively, I think kidnapping people and forcing them to give their blood can be done cheaply and be cost effective for a mafia. I mean, that's already what they do with sex workers

Why kidnap? Why not just offer $20 per pint and sell it for $200?

Blood banks stopped paying for blood because it attracted the wrong customers, those strapped for cash rather than the idealistic types. As a result quality suffered.

Between hospitals blood is bought and sold at the price you mention.

Radiolab had an episode about this some time ago.

Re: Blood from young animals can revitalise old ones

#74

Post by bognition » Thu, Jul 13, 2017, 11:55 AM UTC

jraby3 wrote: post #71

Majestic121 wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's the only likely way to make money for a legit therapeutic company, but before we have the technology to manufacture young blood cheaply and massively, I think kidnapping people and forcing them to give their blood can be done cheaply and be cost effective for a mafia. I mean, that's already what they do with sex workers

Why kidnap? Why not just offer $20 per pint and sell it for $200?

Don't plasma centers effectively do this?

And if we are really thinking about catering to the uber rich just raise both prices by an order of magnitude and you'll have plenty of donors and probably a ton of buyers.

Re: Blood from young animals can revitalise old ones

#75

Post by ForRealsies » Thu, Jul 13, 2017, 12:00 PM UTC

mmjaa wrote: post #34

This is not going to end well. Human trafficking is already a seriously bad condition in most societies - with this kind of science, I doubt that the black/grey markets are going to ignore the fact that there are very, very wealthy people out there, willing to pay for a little youth or two. This really speaks to the ethics of science, and technological morality. The world simply isn't ready for some of these major ad…

The truth about Human Trafficking will rock the world. The truth will come out soon.

Re: Blood from young animals can revitalise old ones

#76

Post by gutnor » Thu, Jul 13, 2017, 12:01 PM UTC

keymone wrote: post #38

mmjaa wrote: post #34

This is not going to end well. Human trafficking is already a seriously bad condition in most societies - with this kind of science, I doubt that the black/grey markets are going to ignore the fact that there are very, very wealthy people out there, willing to pay for a little youth or two. This really speaks to the ethics of science, and technological morality. The world simply isn't ready for some of these major ad…

that is until the market is opened up and regulated. with so many young people around realizing that a thing they constantly produce for free is worth something - there will be no incentive to go through the criminal path. also worth mentioning that this could positively impact young population health as there is now clear monetary incentive to keep your blood healthy. it's a win all around, regulators just have to b…

Western world is already struggling to find enough blood donor, and one of their main source are the students.

You would not want to force those students to have to choose between morality and 1 order of magnitude more money than what they can do in the official public blood donation center.

Re: Blood from young animals can revitalise old ones

#77

Post by ForRealsies » Thu, Jul 13, 2017, 12:02 PM UTC

mrfusion wrote: post #68

mmjaa wrote: post #34

This is not going to end well. Human trafficking is already a seriously bad condition in most societies - with this kind of science, I doubt that the black/grey markets are going to ignore the fact that there are very, very wealthy people out there, willing to pay for a little youth or two. This really speaks to the ethics of science, and technological morality. The world simply isn't ready for some of these major ad…

Come on. Let's start with a positive comment. (I think this is one cause of our technological stagnation. Every article about a new technology has a comment like this at the top.)

If only you knew how bad things really are.

Re: Blood from young animals can revitalise old ones

#78

Post by Majestic121 » Thu, Jul 13, 2017, 12:05 PM UTC

jraby3 wrote: post #71

Majestic121 wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's the only likely way to make money for a legit therapeutic company, but before we have the technology to manufacture young blood cheaply and massively, I think kidnapping people and forcing them to give their blood can be done cheaply and be cost effective for a mafia. I mean, that's already what they do with sex workers

Why kidnap? Why not just offer $20 per pint and sell it for $200?

I'm going with the sex worker analogy again because I think it works quite well : for a long time in France there were a lot of French prostitutes in the sex market voluntarily, and living decently of it.

But for some years, a lot of prostitutes from Eastern Europe got brought by the mafia and drove the prices way down for everyone. As a result, the market is now filled with exploited girls, working conditions are awful(ler ?), and the libertarian El Dorado of 'young women voluntarily selling a service' is dead, replaced by a dystopia of what has basically become selling drugged meat until the meat is dead or not fresh enough to be sold. The meat comparison is unfortunately not that much of an hyperbole, just go for a jogging in Bois de Boulogne and you'll see true human misery.

I'm afraid the same kind of scenario is not that much of a stretch for blood. It could even be worse, as a prostitute have to at least be presentable so bad treatment has to be a bit restrained.

Re: Blood from young animals can revitalise old ones

#79

Post by cvsh » Thu, Jul 13, 2017, 12:06 PM UTC

rothron wrote: post #73

jraby3 wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why kidnap? Why not just offer $20 per pint and sell it for $200?

Blood banks stopped paying for blood because it attracted the wrong customers, those strapped for cash rather than the idealistic types. As a result quality suffered. Between hospitals blood is bought and sold at the price you mention. Radiolab had an episode about this some time ago.

>Blood banks stopped paying for blood because it attracted the wrong customers, those strapped for cash rather than the idealistic types.

I feel like the market can find a solution for this that's unworkable for blood banks because of regulations, hospital requirements, scale, etc.

i.e., force applicants to prescreen their blood and permaban them for lying or if their blood fails drug/illness/etc. checks.

Re: Blood from young animals can revitalise old ones

#80

Post by jessaustin » Thu, Jul 13, 2017, 12:06 PM UTC

rothron wrote: post #73

jraby3 wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why kidnap? Why not just offer $20 per pint and sell it for $200?

Blood banks stopped paying for blood because it attracted the wrong customers, those strapped for cash rather than the idealistic types. As a result quality suffered. Between hospitals blood is bought and sold at the price you mention. Radiolab had an episode about this some time ago.

One doubts that kidnapping will yield a higher "quality". The people who may be kidnapped on a regular basis without inviting unwanted attention are a subset of those who would sell their blood.