Age Reduction Breakthrough? • Hacker News Board

Re: Age Reduction Breakthrough?

#11

Post by amluto » Mon, May 11, 2020, 4:01 PM UTC

peter_l_downs wrote: post #4

As someone entirely outside this field, can someone with more inside knowledge give any insight into where this lies on the crank/hoax spectrum? A biorxv paper and a well-written blogpost don't really point either way.

When the author says things like:

> But Katcher has no research grants or university lab or venture capital funding, no team of grad students mining databases and screening chemicals in the back room.

> One thing Katcher has going for him is the correct theory.

I start to suspect the author’s opinion is stronger than their evidence.

Re: Age Reduction Breakthrough?

#12

Post by fredley » Mon, May 11, 2020, 4:02 PM UTC

Exuma wrote: post #9

fredley wrote: post #7

Do we really want to live in a world where the billionaires live forever?

Let's make everything about "billionaires" and completely ignore any good news.

To be clear: I do not see this as good news.

The only way new life and new ideas arise is in the wake of the deceased. Death is neccessary for life. If those at the top can further cement and accumulate their wealth and power due to living longer lives, this is bad for everyone else.

Re: Age Reduction Breakthrough?

#13

Post by JoeAltmaier » Mon, May 11, 2020, 4:02 PM UTC

I'm uneasy - this reads exactly like a snake-oil pitch. What next? Spas that supply plasma injections?

Re: Age Reduction Breakthrough?

#14

Post by rat9988 » Mon, May 11, 2020, 4:02 PM UTC

fredley wrote: post #7

Do we really want to live in a world where the billionaires live forever?

I don't mind them living forever. Why should I care?

Re: Age Reduction Breakthrough?

#15

Post by throw1234651234 » Mon, May 11, 2020, 4:02 PM UTC

op03 wrote: post #8

peter_l_downs wrote: post #4

As someone entirely outside this field, can someone with more inside knowledge give any insight into where this lies on the crank/hoax spectrum? A biorxv paper and a well-written blogpost don't really point either way.

It's not targeting you. It targeted at dumbasses with cash who are scared of dying.

What's wrong with not wanting to die?

Re: Age Reduction Breakthrough?

#16

Post by spacephysics » Mon, May 11, 2020, 4:03 PM UTC

eternauta3k wrote: post #5

I'm dimly aware that issues with rat models for aging were pointed out by Bret Weinstein. Any comments on that?

I recall it had to do with telomere length in mice, and how longer telomeres were involuntarily selected for when breeding lab mice [0]

[0] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11909679/

Re: Age Reduction Breakthrough?

#17

Post by lnanek2 » Mon, May 11, 2020, 4:03 PM UTC

peter_l_downs wrote: post #4

As someone entirely outside this field, can someone with more inside knowledge give any insight into where this lies on the crank/hoax spectrum? A biorxv paper and a well-written blogpost don't really point either way.

There's been a lot of nasty news articles about rich white people getting pumped with young people's blood. It's something easy to manufacture outrage against.

There are callouts in the article that try to calm down that viewpoint at least like: " Katcher thinks that the molecules involved will not be difficult to manufacture, so that when a product is eventually commercialized, it will not require extraction from the blood of live subjects, rodent or human. "

Re: Age Reduction Breakthrough?

#18

Post by Invictus0 » Mon, May 11, 2020, 4:03 PM UTC

Does this lend credence to the idea that blood transfusions from young people could make one healthier or extend one's life?

Re: Age Reduction Breakthrough?

#19

Post by TheAdamAndChe » Mon, May 11, 2020, 4:04 PM UTC

op03 wrote: post #8

peter_l_downs wrote: post #4

As someone entirely outside this field, can someone with more inside knowledge give any insight into where this lies on the crank/hoax spectrum? A biorxv paper and a well-written blogpost don't really point either way.

It's not targeting you. It targeted at dumbasses with cash who are scared of dying.

Stated more charitably, it is targeted towards potential investors that see the potential in something that could improve the lives of millions and eventually billions of people.

Re: Age Reduction Breakthrough?

#20

Post by WhompingWindows » Mon, May 11, 2020, 4:04 PM UTC

peter_l_downs wrote: post #4

As someone entirely outside this field, can someone with more inside knowledge give any insight into where this lies on the crank/hoax spectrum? A biorxv paper and a well-written blogpost don't really point either way.

1) It's only rat tissues and human tissues; any research published in only tissues only or in ratsonly , and not a large RCT in actual humans, needs to be taken with a huge grain of salt.

2) The research in the blog post is not fully summarized. You know it's a weak blog post when they post results WITHOUT SAMPLE SIZE. This is a GLARING omission and highly unscientific. The actual paper shows n=593 rat tissues and n=850 human tissues, which is fine but the blog post should report on these details.

3) It's not that new to suggest that younger individuals' blood plasma might have a rejuvenating effect.

4) They look at certain tissue types, which wouldn't result in changes to all tissue types, like skin, hair, brain, etc.

5) This is very early stages, again, we need actual trials in humans, and then those trials probably need to be followed up for years and years, since aging is a long-run phenomenon. This is more like a cohort study where we enroll a huge number into a cohort of aging-treatments and controls who have some other placebo-treatment.