I'm revealing my geeky side today to help make an important point: There really is no free lunch.
Immortality In Our Future?
I watched a lecture a few months ago about today's topic and more recently I ran across a related article in Discover magazine. Without getting too technical, the key to greater longevity may lie in the tips of chromosomes within telomeres, which are repeating DNA sequences that become shorter each time a cell divides.
When its telomeres become too short, a cell stops dividing - and eventually dies. When enough cells die, so do you.
Stop that process and immortality beckons - maybe. There's even been a pill on the market for about three years now based on this process that proponents say enhances athletic, visual, and cognitive performance.
A Cure For Cancer?
At the same time, companies have also been looking at this process as a way to fight cancer. An enzyme called telomerase maintains telomeres in our reproductive and stem cells but not in the rest of the body.
However, telomerase gets reactivated in cancer cells, which is what allows them to continue dividing at will - and spreading. Blocking this enzyme causes cancer cells to die, so scientists are working on a treatment they hope will kill tumor cells while leaving healthy ones unharmed. Great idea!
Can you guess the down side? Telomerase-boosting treatments aimed at slowing the aging process might also increase your risk of getting cancer. Bummer.
How Does This Impact Your Business?
So, how does this relate to you and your entrepreneurial ambitions? I think it just reinforces that there really is cause and effect in the world:
* If you want to try to live longer you may run a higher risk of getting cancer.
* If you want to be a successful entrepreneur, you've gotta work at it.
You need to learn new skills and put them into practice. Because if you keep doing the same thing, you'll keep getting the same results.
Here's to better results - and a long and healthy life!
~ DEBORAH YOUNG invites you to share in the conversation by subscribing to her blog and following along on Twitter. The object for all of us is to have some fun and learn a few things along the way!
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