X-Message-Number: 14477 Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2000 08:36:51 -0400 From: Paul Wakfer <> Subject: Re: #14464 - Does sharks grow old? References: <> > Message #14464 > From: "Marta Sandberg" <> > Subject: Does sharks grow old? > Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2000 14:21:47 GMT Once again rather pointless and clearly off-topic speculation captures the attention of posters to CryoNet while an endearing and pleasantly amusing (thank you Marta) post to CryoNet goes unanswered. Hi Marta, Strange as it may seem, my years of involvement with cryonics have taught me that, in general, cryonicists know very little about life-extension outside of the narrow confines of the current methods used in cryonics. A much better place to seek information on aging damage accumulation in general and its potential for reduction, cessation and reversal is the Usenet newsgroup sci.life-extension. In particular, your question about the lack of decline with the passage of time for different life forms has been considered there and elsewhere several times. In October 1996, Life Extension Magazine (on-line at http://lef.org) ran a front-page article "The Bird that Doesn't Age - Why Do We?" which should help answer your question and give you factual ammunition for the interviews which you are getting. Briefly the bird in question is the fulmar, a type of sea-bird similar to a seagull. This bird appears to maintain a 97% chance of living another year regardless of what age it has attained. The article shows a remarkable picture of Dr. George Dunnet, an animal ecologist, banding and releasing a bird in 1950 when a young man, and 42 years later (in 1992) finding and examining the very same bird. Dr. Dunnet is clearly greatly aged and debilitated, but the bird looks exactly the same after 42 years. Since birds are warm-blooded animals, as far as I know, this example of lack of aging decline in a life-form is the one which is closest and most applicable to humans. Good luck with your interviews. As you described your approach, I think you are taking exactly the right approach and are being an excellent proponent of cryonics. I personally wish to applaud you and thank you for that. -- Paul -- Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=14477