"Immortality"

[CrazCo]

If cells didn't have a limit to the amount of times they could divide, causing them to die, would we just live forever assuming our health was in good condition?

[Phi for All]

There are other things besides replication limits that cause cells to die, but they may be covered by your "assuming our health was in good condition" clause.

[CrazCo]

hmm so dying from old age can be stopped. will the discovery of how to do this happen within the next 80 years in your opinion?

[georgeskohler]

my thinking is on the one hand, most cells lose telomerase expression and telomeres can get so short with each cell division that eventually the cells cannot transmit the genetic material to daughter cells.

 

hmm, what happens if you reactivate telomerase--cancer cells do this...

[dttom]

reactivation with regulation measures might be an aspect... but definitely it costs lots of control work.

[Mr Skeptic]

It shouldn't be too difficult to add telomers to cells so they can continue to divide indefinitely. There are, however, other things that limit cells from reproducing, such as proximity to other cells. Remember, however: for every obstacle to cell division that you remove, you likewise remove an obstacle to cancer formation.

 

Also, there is non-cellular damage that the body cannot heal (aka aging), such as arteriosclerosis, scar formation, plaque build up in the brain (which correlates to various forms of dementia), accumulation of toxins and heavy metals, and any damage to the extracellular matrix.