From: Timothy Bates (tbates@karri.bhs.mq.edu.au)
Date: Mon Jun 14 1999 - 00:19:38 MDT
Spike Jones asked
> how do we identify good genetic material?
>The goal is to maximize the only thing we
> *know* for sure is good: long life.
> How now, Dr. Bates? spike
Of course long life is all those things that you don't care to raise, like
IQ, etc. As a for instance, several researchers believe that IQ simply
reflects brain "health" - that IQ 140 means nothing wrong, and less than
that is the sum of all things that have not gone wrong.
So, longevity (survival) is a function of the organism in its environment -
you can't raise it in the abstract.
More narrowly, longevity as the all-things-being-equal ability of system to
repair themselves is at this time an almost completely open question. No one
knows the answer. Hope for master clocks at both chromosomal and organismic
levels (with melatonin as a regulator for instance) and such-like remains
strong but largely unfulfilled.
so .. go and donate lots of money to a research institute that you like ;-)
tim
__
"Apple's bundling of Apache is terrific to see," said Brian Behlendorf,
co-founder of the Apache Group, the development team behind the Apache web
server, as well as CTO of New Ventures at O'Reilly and Associates. "But this
is more than just about bundling. Engineers from Apple have been working
with other Apache developers on Mac OS X support, as well as adding
functionality that has helped all Apache users. This is precisely how the
'Open Source' model works, and it's wonderful to see Apple fully embracing
this. They have been an exemplary participant in the process."
http://www.apache.com/
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