A presentation I have created for My Highschool

This is a presentation I am going to do for my High School biology class. I am also going to present this at a school assembly or something as well. Please tell me what you think of it and tell me how I can make it better. It doesn't look as good here because I had to copy and paste it from a word document. I am also going to make a PowerPoint presentation with this.

Speech about curing aging to my biology class.

Hello students,
You may or may not have heard about this movement I'm going to tell you about. It is the indefinite healthy life extension movement. It is a cause that aims to gather support for scientific research that will be able to repair the forms of damage to our bodies caused by the aging process.

Why cure aging?

Aging is a thief that robs us of the most valuable resource on this planet, life. Aging kills over 100000 people on earth a day. It is a disease that affects every person on this planet.
To not try to cure aging in my opinion is the most inhumane thing on this planet a person could do. How could anyone in their right mind want the deaths of over 100000 people condemned every day? That is over 35 million people every year. Aging is the disease that has killed the most amount of people in all of human history. The spanish flue killed about 50 million people in a 2 year period (whilst aging kills about over 70 million people in a 2year period and never stops) and AIDS kills about 2.8 million people a year.
All of the age related diseases and conditions you hear about like Alzheimer's disease, Arthritis, Cancer, Cataracts on the eyes, Coronary artery disease, hardening of the arteries, Osteoporosis, etc, is basically the damage of aging itself that has accumulated enough to cause problems for your body. It is a fact that if you live long enough you will get an age related disease and die from it unless something else killed you first. For example If someone died of alzheimers disease if they did not get alzheimers in the first place they would have died from something else such as cancer.
Fortunately the elimination of the world’s biggest killer will be curable and treatable in the near future.
What can be done about aging?

Why do We Age?

Biological aging is a progressive, degenerative process of decay. As aging damage accumulates in our functional cellular and molecular structures, the healthy order laid down in our youth slowly falls apart. This damage occurs as a result of a series of unintended biochemical side-effects of normal metabolism. As more and more of our cellular and molecular structures suffer this damage, functionality is lost, and health, resilience and vitality are slowly taken away from us, leading to increasing age-related pathology.

Thus, as laid out in the flowchart: metabolism causes ongoing aging damage, and accumulating damage eventually reaches a critical mass at which it causes age-related frailty, disability, disease, and ultimately death.


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geriatrics is the attempt to stop damage from causing pathology; traditional gerontology is the attempt to stop metabolism from causing damage; A new approach the engineering approach arrow represents the Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence (SENS) approach, which is to periodically eliminate the damage of aging, so that it keeps the damage below the level that causes death and age related disease.

The leading researcher on aging in the world is a biomedical gerontologist Dr. Aubrey de Grey PhD from Cambridge University in England. He calls his project to reverse the damage we call aging "SENS" (Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence). He has proposed seven strategies for what he calls the "seven deadly things.
Seven Deadly Things
... and why there are only seven
Many things go wrong with aging bodies, but only a few of them are primary changes in the structure of the body itself — that is, aging damage. Other changes (such as increases in inflammation and oxidative stress) are the secondary consequences of this primary change: either the direct results of those damaged components' inability to carry out their normal role in metabolism, or the body's adaptive or maladaptive attempts to compensate for those changes. Thus, by removing, repairing, replacing, or rendering harmless the damage, we restore the normal functioning of the body's cells and essential biomolecules, and the secondary changes are given the chance to return to their normal, youthful baseline.
Scientists have spent decades looking for such changes in aging bodies, this research has led to the conclusion that there are no more than seven major classes of such cellular and molecular damage, shown in the table below.

Aging Damage Discovery SENS Solution

Cell loss, tissue atrophy/ 1955/ Stem cells and tissue engineering (RepleniSENS)

Nuclear [epi]mutations
(only cancer matters)/ 1959 1982/ Removal of telomere-lengthening machinery (OncoSENS)

Mutant mitochondria/ 1972/ Allotopic expression of 13 proteins (MitoSENS)

Death-resistant cells/ 1965/ Targeted ablation (ApoptoSENS)

Tissue stiffening/ 1958, 1981/ AGE-breaking molecules (GlycoSENS); tissue engineering

Extracellular aggregates/ 1907/ Immunotherapeutic clearance (AmyloSENS)

Intracellular aggregates/ 1959/ Novel lysosomal hydrolases (LysoSENS)

We can be confident that this list is complete, first and foremost because of the fact that scientists have not discovered any new kinds of aging damage in nearly a generation, despite the facts that research into aging has been accelerating and that we have had ever-increasingly powerful tools with which to investigate the aging body.


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The Methuselah mouse prizes

WHAT IS THE MPRIZE?
The Mprize competition is an exciting and viable mid-term strategy to deliver on the Methuselah Foundation's mission of extending healthy human life. It directly accelerates the development of revolutionary new life extension therapies by awarding two cash prizes:
1. one to the research team that breaks the world record for the oldest-ever mouse; and
2. one to the team that develops the most successful late-onset rejuvenation.
Previous winners have already proven that healthy life can be extended; each new winner pushes the outer limits of healthy life back even further...and each new winner takes us even further.

I believe that the Methuselah Mouse prize will be one of the biggest factors in the war against aging. The reason I believe this is because time after time, the method of a well designed prize has been shown to be very successful in helping turn the impossible into near term reality
What do the end of famine, the discovery of longitude, and private space travel have in common? Each of these world-changing innovations was created by an inventor seeking to win a prize. The Mprize is an ever growing, almost 5 million dollar prize to end the diseases of aging. Right now, brilliant minds all around the world are competing for this prize including:

David A. Sinclair Ph.D. - Harvard
Dr. Sinclair is an Associate Professor at the Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA. He studies the effects of the molecule Resveratrol on aging and longevity in mice.

Thomas E. Johnson, Ph.D. - U. Col. Boulder
Dr. Johnson is a professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Christiaan Leeuwenburgh, Ph.D. - U of Fla.
Dr. Leeuwenburgh is an Associate Professor at the Biochemistry of Aging Laboratory, University of Florida, Gainesville

Craig A. Cooney PhD. - U of Arkansas
Dr. Cooney is renowned epigenetics expert and Assistant Professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Michal Masternak, Ph.D. - S.I.U. School of Medicine
Dr. Masternak is an Assistant Professor on Geriatrics Research at the Department of Internal Medicine for the S.I.U. School of Medicine.

Leonard Guarente, Ph.D. - MIT
Dr. Guarente is a Novartis Professor of Biology at MIT, Boston, Mass.

Andrzej Bartke-SIU School of Medicine
Dr. Bartke studies the effects of endocrine signaling on longevity.

Stephen R. Spindler, Ph.D - U. Cal. Riverside
Dr. Spindler is a Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Riverside, California.

Richard Weindruch, Ph.D. - U. Wisconsin-Madison
Dr. Weindruch is a Professor at the Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin

Elise Sacane
The focus of Mrs. Sacane's research and development will be on the evaluation of the synergistic effects of fresh food diets, enriched housing and exposure to microbes on the behavioral aspects, life and health spans of wild type mice (Mus musculus).

Alan Cash - Terra Biological LLC
Mr. Cash is a physicist who has been studying the energetic pathways of cellular metabolism. Mr. Cash's research focuses on modifying cell signaling responses with small molecules that mimic the same molecular pathways as calorie restriction for health and longevity.

Christian Sell, Ph.D. - Drexel University
Dr. Sell is an Associate Investigator at Drexel University.
etc etc etc etc


How you can help
If you are interested in helping with the healthy indefinite life-extension cause, here are some ways you can help:

• Donate to the Methuselah foundation: I will be excepting all donations for 1 week. Or you could donate directly through www.mfoundation.org

• Join your local chapter: I will be creating an anti-aging club so if you are interested in joining please speak with me directly

• Register at Imminst.org today : www.Imminst.org is an online community of people who also think aging should be cured. There is quality intelligent discussion going on, and there is also many awareness projects you can work on.

Edited by The Immortalist, 11 February 2010 - 09:38 PM.

Very good speech!

Over 35 million a year. If you want to compare, the Spanish flue killed about 25 million people a year and AIDS kills about 2,8 million people a year.

Edited by s123, 20 January 2010 - 02:23 PM.

I think this is excellent. Im suprised you grasped the gist of whats going on being so new to this, and being only 16. Its not perfect, you could redo some parts, but I dont think you need to. Unless somebody else gives you some pointers before tomorrow then I can give you some when I am more focused.

Very good speech!

Over 35 million a year.

Oh yes of course my mistake. To bad I can't edit it now

I think this is excellent. Im suprised you grasped the gist of whats going on being so new to this, and being only 16. Its not perfect, you could redo some parts, but I dont think you need to. Unless somebody else gives you some pointers before tomorrow then I can give you some when I am more focused.

I'm not sure if knowing all of this for 3 years is being "new to this". Although I am 16 I am not an ordinary 16 year old. I think I have a much more developed sense of morality than others my age and beyond.

This is a good introduction to life extension.
Let us know how what their reactions are.

If I wrote this I would give it a more Imminst, across the board type of spin, but will serve the purpose of informing, persuading, and calling people to action well.

If I were to suggest just three changes I would say they would be to take "called" out of the second sentence. Then also, with this paragraph here:

"I believe the Methuselah mouse prize will be the biggest factor in the war against aging. The reason I believe this is because a well-designed prize is the ONLY method that has shown to be 100% successful in turning the impossible into a near-term reality."

I would consider wording in this kind of way, "I believe that the Methuselah Mouse prize will be one of the biggest factors in the war against aging. The reason I believe this is because time after time, the method of a well designed prize has been shown to be very successful in helping turn the impossible into near term reality."

In the second to last sentence I would change this, "Go to Imminst.org:" to "Register at imminst.org today."

This is inspiring to know your working on this. Please do let us know how it goes. Informing a class is great in itself, and this could become part of so much more.

If I wrote this I would give it a more Imminst, across the board type of spin, but will serve the purpose of informing, persuading, and calling people to action well.


This is inspiring to know your working on this. Please do let us know how it goes. Informing a class is great in itself, and this could become part of so much more.

What exactly do you mean by an "Imminst, across the board type of spin"

What much more could this be apart of? Please explain.

I will try and find an opportunity to present my speech as soon as possible. I wonder what type of reaction I will get. I really don't know, I don't enjoy the company of my peers alot of them are just silly and just want to party and have fun, they don't understand this world. I think there should be a reform to the worlds education systems and also a system to modify children's behaviour. I feel like going up to everyone and slapping them on the face and yelling in there ear saying "WAKE UP ******** YOUR IN THE REAL WORLD YOUR GOING TO DIE!!!!. IF YOU DON'T DO ANYTHING FOR THIS CAUSE YOU WILL DIE!!!. STOP SOCIALIZING WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND FOCUS ON YOUR SCHOOL WORK, SCHOOL IS NOT FOR SOCIALIZING IT IS FOR DOING WORK AND TO AQUIRE THE SKILLS TO BE ABLE TO GO TO HIGHER EDUCATION TO BE ABLE TO GET A JOB AND MAKE THIS WORLD A BETTER PLACE.

Damn it I hate being in school, I don't feel like a Teen, I feel like an adult, If only more people thought the way that I do. I hate most children and adolescents, horrible creatures they are. But not all of them.

If I werent so involved with this cause Ive thought that I would be out trying to make a difference in helping to make sure that free thinking classes are much more of a staple in high schools across the world.

Ask your principle if he can bring that issue up at your school board. It would be interesting to get a guage on the situation in that way if your interested in doing that.

What I mean by an imminst spin, is right now you have a good heavy Methuselah Foundation spin on it, which is good, and works. However thats kind of like having a Birmingham spin on a report about the Civil Rights movement. Rather than talking about the Birmingham march, and those speeches, a person writing such a report might be better off to write about the Civil Rights movement as a whole. Imminst is more like that. We cover the whole cause. We are a hub that leads to all other aspects of the cause.

I would just keep that in mind though, I wouldnt change what you wrote to reflect that. Emphasizing the Methuselah Foundation has a lot of benefits too.

Great paper, I saw that my 13 year old accepted you at FB-she is pretty laid-back about life extension-supports it, but has fun living. She went through a period a few years ago as being more of an active advocate, although from time to time she'll share things now with her friends-she doesn't go around talking to everyone about life extension like she used too . Do let us know what your class' feedback is.

I will try and find an opportunity to present my speech as soon as possible. I wonder what type of reaction I will get. I really don't know, I don't enjoy the company of my peers alot of them are just silly and just want to party and have fun, they don't understand this world. I think there should be a reform to the worlds education systems and also a system to modify children's behaviour. I feel like going up to everyone and slapping them on the face and yelling in there ear saying "WAKE UP ******** YOUR IN THE REAL WORLD YOUR GOING TO DIE!!!!. IF YOU DON'T DO ANYTHING FOR THIS CAUSE YOU WILL DIE!!!. STOP SOCIALIZING WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND FOCUS ON YOUR SCHOOL WORK, SCHOOL IS NOT FOR SOCIALIZING IT IS FOR DOING WORK AND TO AQUIRE THE SKILLS TO BE ABLE TO GO TO HIGHER EDUCATION TO BE ABLE TO GET A JOB AND MAKE THIS WORLD A BETTER PLACE. THEN AFTER THAT YOU CAN HAVE FUN!

Damn it I hate being in school, I don't feel like a Teen, I feel like an adult, If only more people thought the way that I do. I hate most children and adolescents, horrible creatures they are. But not all of them.

You are probably correct that not many of your peers will find the speech all that enlightening. It is typical of youthful people to not care much about mortality or the suffering of aging. This is just a fact of life. The reason you should push ahead (even if your peers don't care or think it is silly) is because there will likely be 2 or 3 people that do listen and do care (including your teacher). Reaching those 2 or 3 people and getting them interested will make it worth it.

As far the the more "broad Imminst spin" BP was talking about, I think he is suggesting that there is a whole movement out there, besides just Methuselah and SENS. Mentioning them all in detail would be too much for one short speech just mention that there are many other organizations in the world trying to end aging, like Imminst, LEF, A4M, Lifestar, etc... Sometimes people will have more interest in what you are saying if they think it is cool and everyone else is doing it.

Edited by The Immortalist, 11 February 2010 - 09:34 PM.

You are 100% based on Aubrey de Grey's vision of aging. You are intelligent enough not to mention only him, to limiting possible blockages. While I believe that his understanding may be right, there are other visions of aging that could be equally true, so I'd make slight changes:

Fortunately the elimination of the world's biggest killer will be curable and treatable in the near future.

"What if the elimination of the world's biggest killer would be curable and treatable in the near future? Some scientists believe so." You could as well replace "Fortunately" by "Hopefully", but other people could critize you.

Thus, as laid out in the flowchart: metabolism causes ongoing aging damage, and accumulating damage eventually reaches a critical mass at which it causes age-related frailty, disability, disease, and ultimately death.

According to Michael Rose natural selection leads the body to well tuned for reproduction but not so well tuned for high ages. This is not necessarily "damage accumulation". I'd give a simple example: you loose your teeth and they are not replaced by new ones. Even if you cured all "damage" the body could still be misfunctioning, due to many such misadaptation to high ages. Of course, the frontier between damage and misadaptation isn't clear, so all scientists may well be right, but to avoid such issues it would be better to replace "damage" by "troubles" everywhere in your text, perhaps even in the image (that you can create yourself).

geriatrics is the attempt to stop damage from causing pathology; traditional gerontology is the attempt to stop metabolism from causing damage; A new approach the engineering approach arrow represents the Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence (SENS) approach, which is to periodically eliminate the damage of aging, so that it keeps the damage below the level that causes death and age related disease.

The leading researcher on aging in the world is a biomedical gerontologist Dr. Aubrey de Grey PhD from Cambridge University in England. He calls his project to reverse the damage we call aging "SENS" (Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence). He has proposed seven strategies for what he calls the "seven deadly things.
(...)We can be confident that this list is complete, first and foremost because of the fact that scientists have not discovered any new kinds of aging damage in nearly a generation, despite the facts that research into aging has been accelerating and that we have had ever-increasingly powerful tools with which to investigate the aging body.

You could prepare them, rather than saying that this is the only truth. Before your text: Among the scientists believing that aging could soon be drastically treated, Aubrey de Grey is possibly the most communicative one. Here is his theory. After your text: of course seven categories of troubles does not necessarily means that aging can easily be cured, but it gives practical targets of scientific approaches.

• Donate to the Methuselah foundation: I will be excepting all donations for 1 week. Or you could donate directly through www.mfoundation.org
• Join your local chapter: I will be creating an anti-aging club so if you are interested in joining please speak with me directly

When saying "donate" you could at the same time give a link of examples of scientific realizations done by the Methuselah foundation, such that people see they are not donating 'in the air'.

Edited by AgeVivo, 11 February 2010 - 09:11 PM.

You are 100% based on Aubrey de Grey's vision of aging. You are intelligent enough not to mention only him, to limiting possible blockages. While I believe that his understanding may be right, there are other visions of aging that could be equally true, so I'd make slight changes:

Could you please list other peoples visions on aging?

Haylick's limit: telomeres (especially for immune system)
Michael Rose: misadaptation
Robert Stanislas (I think): damage of cell membranes at each division
other people: hormonal systems, genetic mutations, etc.
Being able to create young animals from old skin cells suggests (but does not prove) that it's not necessarily just about damage

My one criticism with this as with many other crusades against aging is classifying aging as a disease. Aging is not a disease, it is a process.

As for death. We will all die one day. We must come to terms with that. Correct me if I am wrong, but it seems a lot of immortalists are terrified of death. Something about non-existance creates such a disposition that people believe in the near future, death will be eradicated. This is the folly that has plagued man since the beginning of time. Do you believe that the quests of Ponce De Leon and SENS are different? If you do, then you are sadly mistaken. I don't want to damage people's faith here, but everyone needs to come to terms with death. Living life out of fear and using fear as a means of progression is not healthy and not a life worth living.

I can see life extension, but not immortality. Who knows, maybe I'm just closed minded, short-sighted, and ignorant.

As for Aubrey de Gray's predictions for life span of 1000 years or so; it is quite absurd.