Aging is a natural part of the life of any living organism, including humans. But that doesn’t stop many enthusiasts from the world of science, because so great a temptation to conquer the nature, maximally delaying the moment of biological death, thus prolonging life expectancy. However, some scientists agree that to completely stop this process is simply impossible. Among them researchers from the University of Arizona, who believe that it is impossible even from a purely mathematical point of view.
“Aging is a mathematically inevitable process. Is inevitable in any case. The attempts to stop this process there is no logical or theoretical or mathematical solutions,” says Joanna Masel, a Professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Arizona.
Oils, along with his colleague Paul Nelson presented their findings about the relationship of mathematics and aging in a study entitled “Intercellular competition and the inevitability of multicellular aging” published in scientific proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The modern understanding of evolution leaves open the possibility of interrupting the aging process. But only if science can find a way the perfect natural selection among organisms. And one of the solutions to the problem – the use of competition between cells to eliminate poorly functioning “sluggish cells”, associated with aging, while preserving the remaining healthy cells.
To achieve this, however, is not so simple, say Oils and Nelson. Scientists claim that with the body on a cellular level, two things occur. First, the cells gradually slow down internal processes and begin to lose its basic functions. Second, some cells increasing growth rate, which leads to the formation in the body of cancer cells. As aging people will inevitably acquire the tendency to develop cancer cells even if their presence does not manifest in any symptoms.
“With the aging of most of your body’s cells gradually lose their functions and cease growing. However, some cells begin to grow at an insane rate. If we could get rid of “weak cells”, this would allow the cancer to multiply unhindered within the body. And if you get rid of cancer cells, it contributes to the accumulation of “weak cells”. It turns out that we’re stuck between two options: either allow the cancer to seize the body, or accumulate cells losing their function. And it is mutually exclusive choices. To get rid of all cells, of course, you just can’t.”
Thus, scientists are trying to convey to us a very simple idea in the form of a mathematical equation, according to which aging is an inevitable part of life and an essential feature of multicellular organisms. Yes, science may still try to slow down the aging process, but according to the Oils and Nelson, fully to stop it is simply impossible. And mathematical approach to the problem demonstrates that this is true. And with math, as you know, arguing is difficult.
Scientists believe that the aging process cannot be stopped from a mathematical point of view
Sergey Grey