Life Extension

            The subject of life extension has attracted some interest in the life sciences, and much Federation research has concentrated on this particular subject, and although some therapies have been developed to increase life span, and to reduce degeneration biological immortality is far from being realised. It is currently believed that immortality through machine transference, that is using nanotechnological means to preserve the subject’s mind and memories, by transferring this information into machine information.

            The different races of the Federation have far from level achievement in their life extension research, this is not simply from the desire in these studies but rather reflects the different biological challenges each species faces in finding their own prophylaxis against aging. If a biological solution to immortality can be found it is without doubt that each Federation race will have a different cure, though if advanced nanotechnology shows promise then perhaps a more universal nanological treatment can be developed.

            The Trenoc have the most sophisticated anti-aging treatments, which has resulted from a number of different reasons, the first most prominent reason is that the Trenoc have been studying this particular problem for over a century more than the other Federation races. The other reason is that senescence in the Trenoc species is a relatively straightforward biological process, and that some success has been made in interfering in these processes. Trenoc senescence is a cascade event, which makes aging in Trenoc relatively rapid, the trigger to senescence comes from signal pathways which continuously assess the status of the internal systems. The aging process can be initiated from either degeneration of the internal organs, as with aging, but also when the individual has been badly compromised by disease (for this reason major chronic diseases are relatively rare in Trenoc epidemiology). Regeneration therapies developed in Trenoc modern medicine has greatly extended lifespan of the protector caste, but current research focuses on interrupting the signal cascade that triggers the rapid aging prior to death.

            Panatrak life extension therapies are somewhat less advanced than the Trenoc, though their research has been running for a similar length of time. The prime reason for this is that the aging process in the Panatrak is greatly more complex. The current focus regenerative therapies for the current generation of Panatrak, though the more fruitful work will perhaps only be realised in generations to come, with approaches to genetically modify the Panatrak germline to primarily increase the plasticity of mature tissues, and therefore enable regeneration. Other approaches are focusing on endocrine interruption, changes in which are thought to occur after sexual prime, and reduce the body’s ability to regenerate itself. Though these approaches have already brought some extension of life span, especially in degenerative diseases, the process of aging is much more complex, and perhaps biological immortality will only be possible with great changes to genome and biochemistry. The Panatrak have perhaps the hardest task as their biology is complex, and the coordination more so.

            Human life extension is suffering similar obstacles and research is of similar advancement to Panatrak and Galen, though genetic and biochemical processes have improved tissue regeneration (especially telomeric therapies) the wider effects of aging are proving stubborn to reverse. Stem cell techniques are already widely used in humans, especially in use against diseases, though rejuvenation by this technique is proving to be elusive, some tissue although repopulated by stem cells still do not regain function (bone, brain). Current therapies are focusing on whole body approaches especially signalling systems, and tissue studies, though it is likely that the best results will be a combined therapy of stem cells, hormones, genetic manipulation and biochemical courses.

            Galen research shows a little more hope than Panatrak and Human research at this time, though they have spent a fraction of the time on this research compared to the Trenoc, their results have been encouraging. Prospects for near future success are improved by the fact that their biology is less complicated than either Human or Panatrak, and many therapies (including some adapted ones from other races) are proving to be more effective in the Galen patient. Stem cell therapies combined with synthetic hormones are already having rejuvenating effects for the whole body, where as similar processes in humans and Panatrak meet with only part success, similarly genetic therapies are proving successful for whole tissues. If Galen biology transpires to be as transparent as it appears to be then greatly increased life expectancy might be achievable through relatively simple treatments, or perhaps only a few modifications to germline. The most encouraging fact stems from the fact that at the heart of the Galen aging process is the equilibrium between stem cells being produced, and their migration and ‘consumption’ by other tissues, if the rate of generation is made to exceed the rate of consumption then health and resistance against aging seems likely, and fortunately this process may be quite easy in the Galen.

            In contrast with the other Federation races the Pholi, in their pre-technological state have no interest in studying their own biology, yet alone life extension, it is thought that in their technological era that they have mastered these areas completely. It is already thought that the lifespan of the Pholi is already extended reasonable assumptions of their original lifespan, it also commented that although they still have Death, that this may not be the end of the individual, little is known in detail about Pholi biology to speculate whether they have in fact mastered immortality as far as the information of the individual, if not biological. Deaths among the Pholi have been known, though are extremely rare, though the population balance seems constant, it is slightly suspected, though evidence is mostly anecdotal, that they can ‘re-incarnate’ that although body death can occur, some process can enable the individual to come back, though it is not known whether the same body is miraculously brought back to life, or the individual is created de novo somewhere else.

            For the other Federation races immortality is most likely to come from more technological means for the meanwhile, especially the possibility for the mind and consciousness of an individual to be translated onto a machine substrate. Though it is arguable to whether this transference will mean the same person ‘survives’ a body death, it does mean that all their memories and thoughts will survive, if not their personality and temperament. Current neural interface technology may already be able to collect enough information about the user before death to make this process possible, though more sophisticated implants that practically mould around every physical process within the brain are more likely to succeed in creating perfect imprints of the person. It is possible to see that the divide between machine and mind will melt away as neural interface technology continues to advance, an age where the physical limitations of the mind are circumvented by exploiting the powers of machines, this has already to an extent occurred, and it is not hard to see minds made from a fusion of machine and original biological template. If technology does advance sufficiently for an imprint of a person’s mind to persist after death, the question then is what should be done. Artificial intelligences already exist, being entirely machine in nature they have in effect reached the stage of the ‘transferred’ patient after body death, they have in their digital way an entirely rich life. Transferrance may in fact lead to an entirely controllable after life, where the transferred can partake in a virtual reality completely separate to their original life. The other alternative is that the transferred will want to in some way come back to this reality, artificial intelligences already use avatars, their presence in the physical world, it is possible that the mind imprints can be transferred to such machines and can therefore exist in the physical world again, the other alternative is that new bodies can be produced by advanced biological means, and again by nanotechnological means, the mind can be re-imprinted on the new brain, in essence reincarnation.