I have been uninspired for Fauna Friday this week. Yes, the ponies are very well indeed as is Ludo the cat but I haven't taken any new pictures of them.
Flatworms were in the news this week because they have been found to contain a gene that makes them not grow old, or, rather, as the article I read said, they stay young. I don't know what the difference is between those two! Also, immortal doesn't mean either of these, it means it doesn't die (young or old).
Anyway iin desperation for something to post for Fauna Friday but not really having the time to read the article, I skim-read it. It looks to me as though only the asexual ones have this immortal gene, so how do they pass it on? I suppose they don't. The ones who have it stay alive; the ones who don't don't stay alive. I dunno. Otherwise maybe their celibacy would be hereditary.(???)
They are thinking about how they could get these genes into humans. If we never grew old, but still died, presumably we would all die when we were stil youthful. How old would we get before we stopped getting older? Would we stop at one year old, 10 years old or 30? Or what?
And if we were actualy immortal, where would they put us all? We would keep making new people but the old ones would never leave. The planet would get too crowded and wouldn't support us. It would be pretty awful.
the prospect of living a good lifespan without the downside of getting old rather appeals to me. If you lived till you were ninety but didn't age any more than .... say sixty ? Wow , I would really like that( 40 would be even better !!!).
ReplyDeleteSend some of those flat worms down here to Oz !!!
Helsie: I agree about the life without the downside of age.
ReplyDeleteI don't even know where flatworms live but if I fiind any I'll send them so you can dunk yourself in a big vat of them.
And you, Foody, might be out of work. :(
ReplyDeleteNo one would need to write a Will. :)
(I still haven't got round to doing mine).
Bernard: Oh no I wouldn't! I do lots else besides,you see. They will still all be renting shops and selling and buying houses and farms and fighting with each other. :( Also I hope that one day I definitely will not be working any more, like you! :)
ReplyDeleteFunnily enough we are going to see our lawyer this afternoon to sign our wills as we have updated them. And the lawyer is my husbands cousin :-)
ReplyDeleteRetirement is recommended :-). This is hubby's 7th month, but as I tell him ladies never retire a there is always one thing o do. :-)
Ann: Haw haw! I can easily believe that - always just something for the ladies to do!
ReplyDelete