Is immortality possible scientifically?

Question

From a purely scientific (not spiritual or metaphysical) perspective, is immortality a possibility?

I understand telomeres and mitosis - where the DNA shortens each division ,etc....but
there are also theories like computer conciousness and artificial intelligence where the mind could be downloaded, preserving only the brain (the neurons don't undergo mitosis) -cryogenics- -although there would be undisputable cell damage from chemicals like antifreeze.....the list continues --is there any scientific hope for immortality in the 21st century???

Answer 1

There's nothing in today's science or technology which would suggest such a possibility. There's some very interesting work going on in longevity that may help us slow aging and let us stay healthy longer, but there's no hint yet that it might be unlimited.

Answer 2

Give me immortality, or give me death!

Seriously, programmed cell death is unavoidable. Even immortal cell lines, such as HeLa cells used for cancer research are showing signs of deterioration world wide. Preserving the brain would require removal of much of the spinal column and nerves attached to eyes, and insinuated throughout the body. The thought processes and memories are chemical in nature, no-one has been able to recreate or transfer a thought process except by describing it to someone else, or entering into a computer, crude and incomplete compared to a memory of something. How do you describe everything from a memory of, say, a picnic, how you felt at the time, how green the grass was, if you were bitten by an ant, how much it hurt?
There is no hope of immortality, because there is no need for it, in fact, in evolutionary terms, immortality is death.

Answer 3

that is a good question that i would love to try to answer with my own thoughts, well if you look at it like this its pretty resonable, besides computers and all of that which of course can be possible one day lets think about the actual human body and our unbelieveably capable brain........we live so much longer now then we did back in the day because of the advances of medicine, who is to say one day we will find a way to reverse the shortening of the dna after division? deoxyribo nucleac acid should defenately be able to be reproduced some time in the future so for all we know our life expectany within the next 100 years may be doubled, and we may even be able to stop the affects of aging, immortality is vulnerable in the same ways as the thought of dieing

Answer 4

Indeed.

I have done a lot of research on the possiblity of divorcing the brain from the body.

Some investigators have actually done this (made a brain survive outside the body). Once this can be done well, it is a simple matter to create an electrical feedback mechanism between the brain and a mechanical body.

Answer 5

In an infinitely expanding universe, all permutations must happen at least once. So that means immortality has to happen.

Besides.. some trees / plants out there on Earth can technically "live forever" if nothing ever happens to it. aka sicknesses, natural disasters, etc.

Answer 6

yes, because scientist said that there is a continous cell division but the big question is why the man dies if the cell canreplace itself

Answer 7

Stem cell could help but for how long?

Answer 8

No. We don't even have much of an idea as to how time works much less being able to say that someone is going to live forever!What is forever? We don't know......yet!

Answer 9

maybe if we take stem cell research further, then we could have immortality from repairing old and dead cells including the brain

Answer 10

Anything is possible.

HEY F*#*) you who gave me a thumbs down!

Its true. If you disagree say it.