Will We Grow Young Together?
My cultural encounter came last night in the form of an article. Dana Farber researchers discovered a way to reverse the aging process in mice. I think this is a fascinating discovery that may eventually lead to reversing human aging. There is a cultural dimension to this scientific development because the cycle of life and death, although historically inevitable, are understood in different contexts across an array of cultures. Many religions believe in an afterlife, hinting that the life we are living now is just a pre-cursor to the afterlife that lies ahead. Death has always been fabled to be an inevitable occurrence that cannot be avoided, no matter how much money, friends, or power you have. Here science and culture clash, simultaneously testing the religious tolerance and cultural tradition. Will people separate themselves from traditional livelihood as individuals for an indefinite period of time, or will they revere pious doctrines?
http://www.massdevice.com/news/dana-farber-researchers-reverse-aging-mice