Upon considering Physical Immortalty we
encounter various preconceived ideas about
limits and an immutable definition of Physical
Immortality .

In the strict and , presently , incomprehensible
sense of Physical Immortality ; this means to live
in a Physical form , most likely similar to our
present bodies ; forever .

Lets have a look at some of the limitations involved.

Firstly , manmade disasters war , famine then disease .
Next societal constraints , established concepts of
death aren't to be challenged ; the emotive context of
these is considerable .
Also religious , unfortunately a manipulator of
societal norms ; often in an inappropriate way ,
concurrent with this , certain dogmas can exist
within the supposedly rational sphere of science .
The destruction of the Earth , before Physical
Immortality becomes possible .
A rogue star wondering into our vicinity.
The eventual demise of the universe .



Until relatively recently I was overwhelmed by one
of these dogmas ; namely the Hayflick limit , that
states that a human cell can only divide fifty times before
it becomes unviable and apoptosis should occur ; unless
the cell has become cancerous .
In the latter instance a pathway , similar to that
of a stem cell , has been activated .
The work of Wright and Shay has shown that the
application of the natural enzyme telomerase can
prolong the life of a human cell , in culture ,
indefinitely and to the best of my knowledge without
the onset of cancer or genetic abborations .

The complete sequencing of the human genome was also
considered to be beyond any foreseeable technology ;
yet this has been completed to a high accuracy for
just about every base pair .
This information may eventually unravel the pathways
involved in the regenerative capabilities of stem cells
and the wayward behavior of cancer cells .

These are limits that don't appear to be as
insurmountable as they once did .


Another ingrained dogma of science is that of Entropy.
I'd thought for awhile that the work of Stephen Hawkings
had brought this into disrepute ; on the galaxtic scale.
When we look at the nanoscale this concept doesn't retain
the usual meaning ; especially when we consider Brownian
Motion and the Casimir Effect .
I suggest that this will be resolved to the advantage of
Physical Immortality ; in the future , and in the meantime
doesn't appear to be as important as attaining a comprehensive
'blueprint' for the pathways that determine our cellular and
physical fate.

Yet another dogma , negative index of refraction ; considered
to be impossible until the last ten years , yet something I
was considering as a possibility , thirty years ago .


So , for now , perhaps we can consider a lesser definition
of Physical Immortality and then reconsider the situation
once this has been attained .


I suggest that Practical Physical Immortalty be defined
as having an unaging body that is maintainable in a state
of near perfect health.