3 ms·

if they are successful (which I hope they are) then we're talking about pushing back retirement until 90 or maybe 95 right? Which I would be totally OK with. I

if they are successful (which I hope they are) then we're talking about pushing back retirement until 90 or maybe 95 right? Which I would be totally OK with. Imagine how much more scientific progress we could make if we had 70-year veterans of their field with the sharp mind of a 27-year-old!

ams6110 13y ago
Who says their minds will be sharp? This discovery is about muscle aging.
- sliverstorm 13y ago
  We're just speculating here :)
- agumonkey 13y ago
  Good point indeed, that said, even physical health can be a toll on your mind. Freed from that you can spend more time thinking instead of aching.
Vardhan 13y ago
Is that the goal of life? Incessant scientific progress?
- sliverstorm 13y ago
  For me? Yeah, pretty much.
- 31reasons 13y ago
  Yup. There may be thousands of earth like planets in our galaxy alone. Shouldn't we explore them some time in future ?
  - Tepix 13y ago
    With 100 billion stars in the Milky Way, we're talking millions (or more), not thousands.
    - brodney 13y ago
      Making eradicating aging even more important.
  - sp332 13y ago
    Wouldn't it make more sense to live well wherever we are? I'm not saying we have to settle for Earth, but the focus should be on how people are living and not how many planets get checked off.
    - 31reasons 13y ago
      Living longer means signification rise in population on earth and given the unsustainable state of our planet, it makes more sense to look for other similar planets for habitation. And if we invent faster than light travel in future it will be natural for people to leave earth in the spirit of exploration just like Europeans did to find the New World.
  - Vardhan 13y ago
    Why should we explore?
aggie 13y ago
That's an interesting question, but I think it could be less helpful for scientific progress than you might imagine. It could even be a hindrance. As Max Planck put it, "A scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it." Extending scientific careers could effectively slow the rate of Kuhnian revolution.
- sliverstorm 13y ago
  Alright, maybe I'm more excited specifically for engineering then. I'm an engineer, really, not a scientist, and I'm always blown away by some of the old stalwarts in my field.

ams6110 13y ago

Who says their minds will be sharp? This discovery is about muscle aging.

sliverstorm 13y ago
We're just speculating here :)
agumonkey 13y ago
Good point indeed, that said, even physical health can be a toll on your mind. Freed from that you can spend more time thinking instead of aching.

Vardhan 13y ago

Is that the goal of life? Incessant scientific progress?

sliverstorm 13y ago
For me? Yeah, pretty much.
31reasons 13y ago
Yup. There may be thousands of earth like planets in our galaxy alone. Shouldn't we explore them some time in future ?
- Tepix 13y ago
  With 100 billion stars in the Milky Way, we're talking millions (or more), not thousands.
  - brodney 13y ago
    Making eradicating aging even more important.
- sp332 13y ago
  Wouldn't it make more sense to live well wherever we are? I'm not saying we have to settle for Earth, but the focus should be on how people are living and not how many planets get checked off.
  - 31reasons 13y ago
    Living longer means signification rise in population on earth and given the unsustainable state of our planet, it makes more sense to look for other similar planets for habitation. And if we invent faster than light travel in future it will be natural for people to leave earth in the spirit of exploration just like Europeans did to find the New World.
- Vardhan 13y ago
  Why should we explore?

aggie 13y ago

That's an interesting question, but I think it could be less helpful for scientific progress than you might imagine. It could even be a hindrance. As Max Planck put it, "A scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it." Extending scientific careers could effectively slow the rate of Kuhnian revolution.

sliverstorm 13y ago
Alright, maybe I'm more excited specifically for engineering then. I'm an engineer, really, not a scientist, and I'm always blown away by some of the old stalwarts in my field.