Indefinite cellular division. Lobsters' age cannot be reliably determined because once mature, aging slows down to a crawl. Scientists believe that lobsters can live indefinitely barring death from external causes. While they continue growing, their cells simply don't "self-destruct" (apoptosis - programmed cell death). The reason? There are various theories as to why lobster cells, as well as other cold-water organisms, don't seem to have a Hayflick limit - a theory stating that cells have a finite ability to divide due to telomeres that grow increasing short each time the cell divides. Once the telomere segment of DNA is depleted, the cell can't divide and begins apoptosis; one of the more particularly interesting ideas is that it has something to do with ubiquitous telomerase expression and its mitigation of senescence (biological aging attributed to cellular decay). This would allow cells to divide indefinitely and greatly mitigate the aging process; or so the telomere theory of aging would have us believe. The "immortal" cell. Related to this it was recently discovered that cancer cells experience fewer mutations in mRNA (mitochondrial DNA) than normal "healthy" cells. This could stem from the cancer cell switching to a predominantly aerobic energy metabolism (oxidative phosphorylation) to one that primarily uses anaerobic glycolysis. This creates fewer free radicals which are particularly harmful to mRNA. The result is that mRNA is more likely to stay intact, less likely to replicate faulty mitochondria and the cell is less likely to enter apoptosis. In addition, cancer cells have an increased telomerase expression allowing the cells to effectively deny their previously genetically programmed Hayflick limit and theoretically replicate indefinitely. Indefinite cell division with veritable cellular immortality? The definitive (indefinitive?) epitome of a two-edged sword from a biological standpoint. Very interesting indeed.
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How old is the oldest alive lobster found in the world, hundreds of years or thousands of years? We can determine the way to expect an improvement in our aging rate by investigating first the oldest specimen (lobster) and study its condition. As far as I know. the age of lobsters is traditionally calculated by their size, so a similar effect of an indefinite division of cells might cause in humans, and then, together with an expanded longevity we might also talk of a gigantic human species... we better tell NBA that is not to early to start rising the basket up to 25 feet high... whoa! The entire system of the lobster and perhaps of other similar animals have this cellular characteristic, but in humans an indefinite cell division causes an isolated system that destroys the functions of the rest of the human body. To change our entire system might call for some sacrifices, and similar to lobsters the changes might include having thousands of feretilized eggs in the woman's womb after sex with her mate, but this might cause new laws for abortion rights... sigh* I think that inmortality is a good approach but I don't think that the use of lobsters is the best example...
