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Comment by lettergram | Hacker News Reader

Took me a while to find, but this method apparently only increases the life span of mice by 25%. Given how mice are prey animals - i.e. they aren't meant to live long - I don't anticipate the same results with Humans. Although, it may help reduce risks of diseases.

It'll be interesting to see results.

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Even if there is 0% increase in median lifespan, they describe many effects which would make aging a much less miserable and debilitating experience. That alone is a win. Take this bit:

"can restore lustrous hair and physical fitness to ageing mice"

Think of it! Finally, a cure for baldness! And, yeah, less of a decline in fitness would be nice, too.

it just means bald with shiny hair.

Organs improved too

It does provide an interesting model why ~80 is considered an average lifespan, but some people can live up to ~120 and be unusually heathy at 80/90 etc.

I'll take an "only" 20 year life span increase.

"I plan to live forever, of course, but barring that I'd settle for a couple thousand years. Even five hundred would be pretty nice."

— CEO Nwabudike Morgan, Alpha Centauri

Hell I'd take the normal span with my health and my mind intact. I've seen old brains. It scares me.

Yeah, I wonder if senolytics have a positive effect on the brain.

We already have a potential treatment for age-related cognitive decline: vampirism (kinda). https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fountain-of-youth...

Their point is that the lifespan increase is probably unique to mice. Mice are designed to die quickly.

So are we. You think 80 some odd years is a long time?

Most animals die sooner.

80 years is too short. That's only 20 American presidential terms.

I'll take a 20 year lifespan increase at least every 20 years. Preferably a 20 year lifespan increase every 5-15, for a healthy safety margin.

I thought a huge part of the problem is mice are not that similar to humans (lots of things have different effects on mice versus humans) but mice are really easy/cheap to test with compared to larger mammals that are a bit closer to humans. We could be missing a lot by not testing stuff in humans that has zero/deleterious effect in mice.

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