Russian scientists are on the verge of a grandiose discovery that can turn all our ideas about the world around us. They claim that they know a way to slow down the aging process and rid the world of many incurable diseases
But at the same time, a substance that has magical healing power, if used unwisely, can kill everything around.
Laboratory flies at the Research Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, of course, are not immortal. It was not possible to completely stop their aging. Until. But they managed to prolong life. The secret of the method is heavy water, the kind used in nuclear reactors.
Previously it was believed that in large doses it can only kill. Now it turns out that this dead water is actually living.
Nikolay Pestov, senior researcher at the Research Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences: "If we add it in very small concentrations, much lower than the concentration when it produces a toxic effect, then we observe a slight increase in life expectancy."
The increase in life is actually significant. From 50 to 55 days, that is, by 10%. For a person, these percentages would mean several additional years of life. The main "culprit" of such a striking result, according to scientists, is the non-radioactive isotope of hydrogen deuterium, it slows down oxidative reactions, namely, they lead to aging.
In fact, it is proposed to replace hydrogen in the cells of a living organism, in the human perspective, with deuterium. The heavy isotope will become armor against harmful free radicals that destroy cells.
The author of the method, who now lives and works in Oxford, is sure: saturation of the body with deuterium in the future can help those suffering from the so-called "senile" diseases, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
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Mikhail Shchepinov, Doctor of Chemistry: “Most diseases, as we know, are associated with oxidative stress. Reducing the harm from this oxidative stress will mean improving the condition of these patients, preventing these diseases."
But will a person who is subjected to such treatment remain a person? Or will he turn into some terrible mutant?
Nikolay Pestov, senior researcher at the Research Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences: “There are no changes in its chemical structure. All of these chemical formulas remain the same. We do not introduce any toxins, absolutely new substances, new proteins, as it happens with GMOs."
But scientists are still very far from confirming the effectiveness of such isotope therapy for humans. Research is ongoing in England, Russia and Belarus.
Experiments with insects and worms can already be called successful. Isotope therapy is just beginning to be tested in rodents. So far, also successful.
The first rat, in whose body hydrogen is partially replaced by deuterium, feels great, has not turned into a monster. Who knows, maybe this will be the first animal that can cheat aging.
Scientists say that in the future, deuterium can be mixed into food. And such supplements could possibly increase the average human life span to 120 years.
From the point of view of science, there is not long to wait for this "golden age". It will take two decades of intensive research to confirm or disprove this hypothesis.
