2006-07-27 08:44:02 · 3 answers · asked by grains of sand 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
Thank you susuze, ymingy and Alan for answers. The 3 answers role together pretty well. And ymingy's reminds me now of a teaching I heard many decades ago... that the DNA or successive cellular reproduction quality deterioration that occurs is a driver of aging. Yeah, Alan, if we were plutonium I could still be skiing when the next Ice Age comes around... and glow in the dark to light my way down the hill!!
Thanks!
GOS
2006-07-28 02:55:03 · update #1
Atomic elemental decay is purely radioactive, and has nothing to do with the human body aside from that too much of it will kill us (but we don't store enough of that in our body for it to kill us).
Chemical decay/reactions also happen on a timescale much too fast to affect our lifespan. It's mostly the decay of quality in our DNA and its inability to produce useful proteins and keep a good chemical balance in our body that causes our physical degredation.
It can be thought of in principle as one big chemical decay, but not in the sense that is used in scientific chemistry or physics.
2006-07-27 08:59:19 · answer #1 · answered by ymingy@sbcglobal.net 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If it does (and it doesn't) we are being cheated out of extra years in our life since plutonium has a half life of over 24,000 years.
There is NO relationship.
2006-07-27 21:28:36 · answer #2 · answered by Alan Turing 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
elements each decay at a different rate...some decay almost instantly and are changed into other isotopes and such. so that is not really a valid hypothosis....interesting though
2006-07-27 15:50:02 · answer #3 · answered by susuze2000 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋