The Economist on Repairing Aging
The Economist looks at the Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence (SENS) and other longevity research: "To think about the question, it is important to understand why organisms - people included - age in the first place. People are like machines: they wear out. That much is obvious. However a machine can always be repaired. A good mechanic with a stock of spare parts can keep it going indefinitely. Eventually, no part of the original may remain, but it still carries on, like Lincoln's famous axe that had had three new handles and two new blades. ... All organisms are going to die of something eventually. That something may be an accident, a fight, a disease or an encounter with a hungry predator. There is thus a premium on reproducing early rather than conserving resources for a future that may never come. The reason why repairs are not perfect is that they are costly and resources invested in them might be used for reproduction instead. Often, therefore, the body's mechanics prefer lash-ups to complete rebuilds - or simply do not bother with the job at all. And if that is so, the place to start looking for longer life is in the repair shop."
Link: http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10423439