Jack Dennen
This article from the New York Times by Nicholas Wade talks about the debate between British and American scientists on pursuing research on something known as the Longevity Gene. This gene is supposedly used to make sirtuins, a protein involved in controlling cell’s metabolism. The debate sees the British scientists say that the longevity gene is nearing the end of its life, or that the research should no longer be spend researching the gene that makes sirtuins, but the Americans, who have invested a lot of time and money into the gene say that this approach of trying to extend the life of humans still looks to be as promising as ever. This method of trying to extend the life expectancy of humans began when it was discovered that resveratrol, a chemical found in small quantities in red wine, was shown to activate sirtuin. This prompted the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline to spend $720 million funding a research project to try and create resveratol in the lab. There was an experiment done in 2001 in which roundworms and fruit flies were tested to see if sirtuin made them live longer. Although the tests came out positive, the article says the experiment was flawed because the control group did not have identical genetic make up of the experimental group, therefore, without repeating the experiment many times, a valid conclusion cannot be, therefore, drawn. The scientist redid the experiment in 2009 after learning about, and therefore removing a gene mutation, and still got the same results, although a bit less pronounced. Also, there has been success in lab rats and mice. When given sirtuins and put on a low-calorie diet, the subjects lived an average of 40% longer than the control group. Although the results are positive, one cannot be certain that the sirtuin is the only mediator of longer life on the low calorie diet.
This article has a great significance to humanity today. Recently, scientists and regular people alike have been becoming more and more interested in living longer and pushing the bounds of life. If this experiment is in fact relevant and does in fact turn out proven positive results, there will be millions upon millions of people waiting in line to try out this new treatment. There will always, however, be people who are arguing that the ethics behind the discovery is wrong. People will be arguing that it is morally wrong to take a magical treatment that increases your life span.
I think the article is very interesting and relates to our AP Biology class very much. I think the author of the article could have talked more about the arguments the British and American scientists are making and go deeper into why they are making those claims. It does a good job talking about the different experiments that occurred and how they have been revised and criticized for repetition or fallacy.
Wade, Nicholas. "Longevity Gene Debate Opens Trans-Atlantic Rift." New York Times. 21 Sept. 2011. Web. 21 Sept. 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/22/science/22longevity.html>.
Jack’s review of “Longevity Gene Debate Opens Trans-Atlantic Rift” brought up many interesting points. His analysis of this article was well thought out and did a good job of not only describing the basic elements of the research but also analyzing the relevance of this issue in modern times. One thing that Jack did well that was interesting was he explained the context in which the research for the longevity gene has been done. Jack described how Americans have invested billions of dollars into trying to recreate the chemical resveratrol to increase the production of sirtuin. Jack also explained how the British believe that we should stop researching this gene because it is not making any noticeable progress but then again they have not invested nearly as much time or money into this research. It was also interesting how Jack brought up the moral issues of creating a drug that allows you to live longer and the debate sparked by that concept. One thing Jack could have done better was explained what the next steps in this research might be and which groups are heading them. Also, in the fruit flies experiment it would have been interesting to know how much the fly’s lifespan increased and if this was applicable to humans as well.
ReplyDeleteOverall I was impressed with this review and thought that Jack did a good job in describing the key elements of the article and providing us with some background information to help us understand why the research is so relevant to us. I also liked how Jack tied this article into our Biology class and how it relates to our current studies.
Jack has an incredibly succinct and unbiased review of the article, “Longevity Gene Debate Opens Trans-Atlantic Rift.” I feel that he did a good job explaining the multitude of viewpoints on such a controversial topic as extending life expectancy. Not only did Jack write about the competing scientific points of view, but also the ethical one. There is always a moral dilemma involving any experiment in relation to the possibility of effecting human life, and he acknowledges this. Jack does a great job in explaining the effect of such a drug to the greater public, which is crucial for a successful review. Perhaps the most important is the clarity of his writing and ability for the reader to understand the current situation quite well.
ReplyDeleteJack could’ve improved upon, in my opinion, his detail. More detail demonstrates a greater understanding of the topic. When he is describing the experiment with mice, Jack writes, “one cannot be certain that the sirtuin is the only mediator of longer life.” I would ask what could be another possibility of another mediator of longer life? Also, explain how a controlled metabolism can extend one’s life; what other parts of the body does it effect? In addition, it would be interesting to know what other scientific groups, like GlaxoSmithKline, are heading the research in human longevity.
I was impressed by the dedication that the scientists in both American and Britain seem to have. From this article and review I learned about a protein that is incredibly vital to our life, for the first time. In the past, I had heard about the benefits of red wine, with sirtuin in it, but was not sure about its exact effects.