We join cryonics societies because we seek somehow to escape aging, our major cause of death, and all the other lesser causes too. Besides a more philosophical article by Hayflick, several articles took an unusual and interesting line, I shall discuss them here. And because some more recent work also discussed these issues, including one paper discussed elsewhere in this issue, I will refer to them also. The importance of such work depends on the wide genetic similarity among many species, from mammals to round- worms and yeast.
Bats live far longer than mice, despite their similar metabolic rates.
Nor do mutations which increase lifespan in individual species necessarily change their metabolic rates. Importantly, for each mutation they discuss, they also look at what it may mean for lifespans generally. Yeast , despite its relative simplicity, actually shows a version of old age. It turns out that SIR2 contains some regions in common with similar biochemicals for a wide variety of animals, including mammals. Several other mutations affecting the same pathway will also cause lifespan increases.