Can a Jellyfish Unlock the Secret of Immortality?

#1

Post by mhb » Wed, Nov 28, 2012, 1:53 PM UTC

Can a Jellyfish Unlock the Secret of Immortality?
nytimes.com

Re: Can a Jellyfish Unlock the Secret of Immortality?

#2

Post by aresant » Wed, Nov 28, 2012, 2:39 PM UTC

Fun article but as you'd expect from the title "we won’t know for certain what this means for human beings until more research is done."

Re: Can a Jellyfish Unlock the Secret of Immortality?

#3

Post by michael_dorfman » Wed, Nov 28, 2012, 2:45 PM UTC

aresant wrote: post #2

Fun article but as you'd expect from the title "we won’t know for certain what this means for human beings until more research is done."

If a headline is phrased as a question, the answer is always "no." If the answer were "yes", they wouldn't have phrased it as a question.

Re: Can a Jellyfish Unlock the Secret of Immortality?

#4

Post by kghose » Wed, Nov 28, 2012, 2:52 PM UTC

Also, this fascinates me http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HeLa

These are cells from a person, Henrietta Lacks, which can be grown in a dish and which keep dividing, for ever.

Re: Can a Jellyfish Unlock the Secret of Immortality?

#5

Post by reasonattlm » Wed, Nov 28, 2012, 2:58 PM UTC

There are the same arguments to be made here for a lack of relevance to humans as in the case of hydra:

http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2012/11/investigating-the...

Or lobsters, for that matter, but much more so for these tiny organisms with potent regenerative capacities.

Re: Can a Jellyfish Unlock the Secret of Immortality?

#6

Post by indiecore » Wed, Nov 28, 2012, 2:58 PM UTC

michael_dorfman wrote: post #3

aresant wrote: post #2

Fun article but as you'd expect from the title "we won’t know for certain what this means for human beings until more research is done."

If a headline is phrased as a question, the answer is always "no." If the answer were "yes", they wouldn't have phrased it as a question.

Hacker News law of Betteridge's law of headlines: If the headline is applicable Betteridge's Law will always be mentioned.

Re: Can a Jellyfish Unlock the Secret of Immortality?

#7

Post by peteretep » Wed, Nov 28, 2012, 3:01 PM UTC

Spoiler: no.

Re: Can a Jellyfish Unlock the Secret of Immortality?

#8

Post by zerostar07 » Wed, Nov 28, 2012, 3:13 PM UTC

indiecore wrote: post #6

michael_dorfman wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If a headline is phrased as a question, the answer is always "no." If the answer were "yes", they wouldn't have phrased it as a question.

Hacker News law of Betteridge's law of headlines: If the headline is applicable Betteridge's Law will always be mentioned.

That's because geeks like to back their answers with science (or almost science)

Re: Can a Jellyfish Unlock the Secret of Immortality?

#9

Post by pooriaazimi » Wed, Nov 28, 2012, 3:19 PM UTC

kghose wrote: post #4

Also, this fascinates me http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HeLa These are cells from a person, Henrietta Lacks, which can be grown in a dish and which keep dividing, for ever.

From Wikipedia article: "The cells were later commercialized, although never patented in their original form."

Patenting a human cell? That's the most absurd thing I've ever heard.

Re: Can a Jellyfish Unlock the Secret of Immortality?

#10

Post by kghose » Wed, Nov 28, 2012, 3:22 PM UTC

reasonattlm wrote: post #5

There are the same arguments to be made here for a lack of relevance to humans as in the case of hydra: http://www.fightaging.org/archives/2012/11/investigating-the... Or lobsters, for that matter, but much more so for these tiny organisms with potent regenerative capacities.

And birds which regenerate hair cells responsible for hearing.