Is aging a by-product of living in gravitational field and/or radiation, solar or otherwise?

Answer 1

I'm sorry to have to say that aging is a result of being alive. Many cells in your body are capable of replacing themselves thousands of times. Skin, stomach lining, and pancreas are examples. You wake up every morning with a new stomach lining and a new pancreas, and you lose more than 100,000 skin cells every day.

Unfortunately, many massive tissues in the body are made of cells that are able to replicate themselves only about 50-60 times before they stop being renewed. When too many of these cells become non renewable, death is inevitable.

These are tissues like blood vessels, heart muscle, brain cortex, and most of the visceral organs. The mechanism that limits the replicatory capacity of these cells is now well understood, but nobody knows how to change it. There is some evidence to suggest that if we could stop the telomeres from eroding, we would live and be youthful and vital for at least several times as long as we can do it now.

But don't hold your breath. The solution is not near, in terms of scientific history.

For more information, try an internet search on "Hayflick Limit" or "telomere."

Answer 2

Aging is chemical, not caused by gravitational fields or radiation. There are several likely causes, especially the loss of the telomeres that are "caps" at the end of DNA molecules. When the telomeres are gone, or nearly gone, the DNA loses the ability to replicate which is aging. There has been great progress in the understanding and possible reversal of aging. Aging will be "cured" within our lifetimes.

Answer 3

Scientists are still not sure exactly what causes aging. Current thinking is that there are certain strands of chromosomes on DNA which, over time deteriorate. They have no real function and they don't produce proteins. These chromosome strands block the cellular damage from internal and environmental free radicals. Without this blockage, the free radicals are able to "attack" the actual functional DNA regions. The free radicals cause chemical reactions which damage the ability of the DNA to function. This will cause a loss of protein transcription and after awhile you see the classic symptoms of aging.

As of note, free radicals come from many sources. They are the bi-products of metabolic processes. They come from the environment such as SMOKING, radiation, pollution, etc. Many of the body's free radicals are produced due to UV light (sun) causing chemical reactions in the skin. Even oxygen itself is some what of a free radical. This is why they think by reducing the environmental factors (using sunscreen, stop smoking) you can "slow" the aging process.

I hope this helps answer your question.

Answer 4

As far as we know life is a bi-product of having radiation and a gravitational field capable of retaining some fairly reactive chemical compounds in a compact space and ageing is a fact of life so you could certainly make some sort of argument that it's so.

Answer 5

No. It has to do with the way chromosomes reproduce. Most chromosomes lose one base at every cell division; there are a finite number of junk bases at the end of each chromosome, so you can afford to lose some. But after enough divisions, you start losing the good stuff and resulting cells are inferior.

Answer 6

I would assume that is a question you would never be able to fully answer. Aging, is a subject that I don't think is possible, to narrow down to a single cause. There are too many things to take into affect, to properly come to any conclusion on the subject.

Answer 7

aging is caused by emotions .emotions are chemicals produced by your brain and your body becomes addicted to this emotion so your cells will bulid mor recptors for that chemical and less for nurtrients such as calcuim and vitamin c

Answer 8

aging is the decay of ones body via oxygen (slightly corrosive) because it slowly attacks any part along the curculatory system and over time it shows itself as back pain, wrinkles and much more

Answer 9

Wonderful! Most of you are on the right track! I love to see when we agree on something!

Answer 10

i believe it to be the decay of ones own dna