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Biological immortality (sometimes referred to as bio-indefinite mortality) is a state in which the rate of mortality from senescence (or aging) is stable or decreasing, thus decoupling it from chronological age. Various unicellular and multicellular species, including some vertebrates, achieve this state either throughout their existence or ...
Study of negligibly senescent animals may provide clues that lead to better understanding of the aging process and influence theories of aging. [ 1 ] [ 3 ] The phenomenon of negligible senescence in some animals is a traditional argument for attempting to achieve similar negligible senescence in humans by technological means.
Immortality in religion refers usually to either the belief in physical immortality or a more spiritual afterlife. In traditions such as ancient Egyptian beliefs, Mesopotamian beliefs and ancient Greek beliefs, the immortal gods consequently were considered to have physical bodies.
In a new book, molecular biologist Venki Ramakrishnan raises critical questions about the societal, political and ethical costs of attempts to live forever.
Intrinsic mortality is defined as mortality due to ageing, the physiological decline due to innate processes, whereas extrinsic mortality is the result of environmental factors such as for example predation, starvation, accidents and others. Flying animals such as bats, for example, have fewer predators, and therefore have a low extrinsic ...
Death is generally applied to whole organisms; the equivalent for individual components of an organism, such as cells or tissues, is necrosis. [5] Something that is not considered an organism, such as a virus , can be physically destroyed but is not said to die , as a virus is not considered alive in the first place.
Immortalised cell lines are widely used as a simple model for more complex biological systems – for example, for the analysis of the biochemistry and cell biology of mammalian (including human) cells. [2] The main advantage of using an immortal cell line for research is its immortality; the cells can be grown indefinitely in culture.
Animal worship was common in the ancient world, influencing the burial practices of animals. Animal mummification was practiced in ancient Egypt and gave special significance to cats in some areas. Egyptians believed that mummification was imperative in order to gain admittance to the afterlife, ensuring the animals' immortality. [26]