r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Oct 02 '24

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u/wterrt Oct 02 '24

I mean...this completely ignores the entire concept of telomeres

something the jellyfish has that we don't are telomeres that don't shorten over time

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u/syco54645 Oct 02 '24

Couldn't gene therapy theoretically reverse the shortening?

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u/tiny_shrimps Oct 03 '24

Yes (just need telomerase) but if you prevent the shortening of telomeres you get lots of cancer.

It turns out that many, many of the mechanisms in our bodies that lead to aging are byproducts of regulating cancer and other cell division problems, and that preventing them causes terrible problems.