No one claims to know how to achieve immortality in humans. The important thing to know is that there animals special in the world that either barely age, or that do not age at all. Some species can also regenerate large portions of their bodies (like lizards can re-grow tails after losing them). In the next few decades, the research that is going to be done on these animals may finally yield a solution that can provide immortality to all of us.
The "Sea Flatworm" is a worm with the ability to regenerate tissue. Its cells are capable of reproducing even if they have been completely destroyed or damaged. If you cut this worm in half, a new work is going to get "born" from each piece.
This guy doesn't look pretty, but that doesn't stop him from being a 100% immune from cancer. These rats cant develop tumors, can survive with a minimum amount of oxygen consumption, and can live for up to 32 years. Their tissue may be the key to increasing humanity's lifespan.
Here is a hilariously funny looking fish - not only does it have a "face," but it also has cute red hands. The red handfish lives in the depths of the sea, and scientists have discovered that this type of fish does not at age - at all. It can survive and reproduce without a nervous system.
Lobsters are another sea creature, and their story is just as exciting. Lobsters do not age or get weak - in fact, they can only grow with aging. Their growth never stops, and their cells appear to have no limit to the number of times they can split and reproduce.
Sea sponges are an incredible creature - they can live for up to 15,000 years, longer than most tree species (trees are the usual age-related record holders of land-based life). They achieve this amazing lifespan by stopping the production of growth enzymes.
The boreal whale is the longest living mammal in the world. These sea creatures can live up to 200 years, which is more than twice the average human's lifespan. Their DNA contains at least 8 different genes that exist only to fight against aging.
Once a clam grows to its adult size and matures, it stops releasing growth enzymes, which means that it almost completely stops aging. One clam discovered by scientists was found to be 507 years old. To find out the age of this Clam, the scientists needed to open its shell, which means they had to kill it.
Turtles are one of the most well-known animals that have a long lifespan. A lot of movies have been made on the subject. Anyway, turtles stop growing once they reach puberty. In low-oxygen areas, turtles can slow down their heart rate, which may be a contributor to their lifespan.
The Tardigrais actually a microscopic being, which is why it looks so weird in the above photo. It is a type of bacteria, known for surviving in extreme conditions. The Tardigrada can enter a type of cryogenic sleep, in which it can live for millennia without consuming water or oxygen.
The above Jellyfish is a warm water Jellyfish, usually found in the Caribbean. They have an interesting ability, where if they get sick or injured, they go to the bottom of the sea and retract in themselves until they become very small. Afterwards, they can expand back to their full size, completely healthy.
Apart from learning what animals can do for us, humans can also try to unlock certain aspects of our genetic code to try to increase our lifespan. A key to this "DNA Unlock" are the telomeres. Telomeres are a type of enzyme that tries to protect our DNA from damage, but they themselves get damaged over time.
Every time your cells divide (that's how cells reproduce), the strength of your telomeres decreases. A cell divides each time that you grow or heal, so anytime you injure yourself or gain weight, you are risking doing damage to your telomeres.
Gene therapy is already a thing - although it is a science in its infancy. There are doctors and researchers already testing out various possible procedures that they will one day be able to do on patients. Some of these procedures include changing a person's eye color or making them glow in the dark.
Another method future generations will use to achieve immortality is the so-called "singularity." This term has a few different meanings, but one of them is related to "mind uploading." Mind uploading means uploading your memories, thoughts, and personality to a supercomputer.
Scientists have different estimates of when you will be able to upload your mind to a supercomputer, and thus achieve immortality. They say the human brain uses a unique way of memorizing things, which if emulated on a PC< would take around 2.5 Petabytes (that's 2,500 Terabytes).
