FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
A leading British scientist says the first person who will live to the age of 150 has already been born.
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Doctor Aubrey De Grey, the chief scientist of a foundation dedicated to longevity research, also believes that the first person to live to be 1,000 years old could be born in the next two decades. You heard right. A thousand.
De Grey made these comments in an interview at Britain's Royal Institution's academy of science.
So far, the longest-living person in the world on record lived to age 122.
But Dr. De Grey says we have a "50/50 chance" of bringing aging under medical control within the next 25 years.
He believes that aging is really just the accumulation of molecular and cellular damage in the body over a lifetime...and that some day doctors will be able to undo this damage. We'll all just go to the doctor for "maintenance checks"– you know, like a tune up for your car. But these visits will include gene therapies, stem cell therapies, and immune stimulation.
De Grey does have his critics. In 2005, the MIT Technology Review Journal offered $20,000 to any molecular biologist who could prove Dr. De Grey's theories were so wrong they were not worthy of debate. But no one ever won that cash prize.
Here’s my question to you: Would you want to live to be 150 years old or even older?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Paul in Parry Sound, Ontario:
No, I would not. If we all lived twice as long as we do now, the pressure we'd put on the eco-system would collapse the planet. And besides, they'd probably raise the retirement age to 140.
Cliff in Rego Park, New York:
That would give us, what, 81 more years of the Cafferty File? I'll need to give this a little more thought.
Paul in Phoenix:
Wow, that would really screw up Medicare and Social Security....oh wait.
Gary in Scottsdale:
Jack, being 75, I'm already halfway there, but have no interest in living to 150. There are over 6 billion people on the planet at the moment and in many parts of the world it's a mob scene. No Jack, I'll take another decade and depart with fond memories and a smile.
Anthony in Swedesboro, New Jersey:
Why not? Galapagos tortoises do. I'm living with an African grey parrot who will outlive my son. Give me a roomy cage with all the technical bells and whistles, have someone feed and clean my cage and I'll be as happy as a clam.
Mark in Oklahoma City:
Well, Jack, that depends. At what age would the senior discount at McDonald's kick in?
Ed in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania:
My only reason for wanting to live that long would be to be able to dance at my great-grandchildren's weddings.
Bill in New Mexico:
Yes, I think life is that enjoyable. If I had thought that I would live that long, I would have spent a few more years in college. I would have gotten another degree or two–in something else. But every "silver lining has its cloud." What do we do about this retiring at 65 years of age or even earlier? Are our minds going to keep up?
Bob in Youngstown, Ohio:
You only have 49 more to go, Jack. Tell us if it's worth it so far.
Overby:
I bet if you were just turning 149 that you'd be saying "yes".......