Monday, February 13, 2006

500: The New Middle Aged?

This post has nothing to do with the Middle Ages of history, though there are plenty of news stories that claim our society is regressing back to the strictures and ideologies of those times. Nope, I am reporting on a story of individual age and aging. In the story cited below, a university professor claims that aging is a fools game and that there is no reason people can't be alive -- and active -- well into their 900s. Now, I don't know about you, but this story is kind of depressing. I mean, if 500 becomes the new middle aged, exactly how far back will Congress push the retirment age? From the Sydney Morning Herald in Australia:

Fountain of Youth Closer Sydney Morning Herald Feb. 9, 2006 In 400 years, people will live to be a thousand years old. Michael Rose knows his prediction sounds ridiculous. To most people, it probably seems unbelievable. However, after working on ageing for 30 years, the scientist says we'll be playing golf in our 900s. The professor from the University of California-Irvine says ageing is not what most people think it is. It's not wear and tear. We've evolved to have robust bodies in youth, able to survive and breed. Natural selection cares less as we grow older... [Read More]
I just had another thought ... in this new centenarian society that Professor Rose envisions, what will be the median age of Olympic athletes?

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