Description
Prologue of the series “Biological Immortality of Human”
Throughout the history of mankind, there has been one unchanging condition for life: a person ages and dies. Civilizations arose and disappeared, sciences developed, technology changed the world, but the biological fate of man remained the same. Sickness, ageing and death seemed as inevitable laws of nature as gravity or the change of seasons.
Therefore, for thousands of years, people have been looking for immortality not in science, but in myths.
Ancient cultures told of gods who do not age. Alchemists were looking for the elixir of life. Philosophers have speculated about the soul that survives the body. Religions promised eternal life in another world.
But the 21st century was the first period in history when the question of immortality began to move from the field of mythology to the field of science.
Modern biology has shown that aging is not a mystical process or an inevitable curse of nature. Aging is a set of biological mechanisms: the accumulation of molecular damage, changes in the work of genes, violation of cellular metabolism, the gradual depletion of the body’s recovery systems.
In other words, aging is a problem.
And any problem that can be described scientifically can theoretically be solved.
Humanity has already learned to do what until recently seemed impossible. We deciphered the human genome. We learned to observe the work of cells at the molecular level. We are beginning to understand the mechanisms that drive body development, tissue aging and regeneration.
Moreover, for the first time, we received tools that allow us to interfere with our own biology.
These changes gave rise to a new philosophical direction – transhumanism.
Transhumanism proceeds from a simple idea: a person is not obliged to forever remain the biological being that evolution formed him. Technology could allow us to push the boundaries of human capabilities – improve health, prolong life, increase intellectual capacity, and perhaps one day overcome biological aging.
This does not mean abandoning human nature. On the contrary, it is a continuation of the deepest human tradition – the desire to overcome restrictions.
The fire allowed the man to survive the cold.
Medicine has made it possible to defeat many diseases.
Science has made it possible to understand the structure of the universe.
The next step could allow a person to change themselves.
However, the path to a radical extension of life will not be easy. It will require years of research, great scientific effort and deep ethical reflection. Not all ideas will turn out to be correct. Not all technology will be safe. And perhaps many of today’s hypotheses will be revised.
But another thing is more important: for the first time in history, humanity began to ask the question not “why are we aging,” but “how to stop aging.”
This series of books is devoted to this very question.
“Biological Immortality of Human” is not a promise of eternal life or a fantasy dream. This is a study of what science already knows about aging, what technologies are being developed today and what opportunities may open up in the future.
Each volume of the series considers one side of this problem: the biology of aging, the genetics of longevity, genome editing technologies, the biochemistry of cellular processes, medical technologies of the future, practical strategies for extending life and the philosophical consequences of possible immortality.
We live in a unique historical moment.
For the first time in the history of mankind, people are beginning to understand the mechanisms of their own mortality. And perhaps it is our generation that stands at the beginning of a new era – an era in which aging will cease to be an inevitable fate.
The question is no longer whether a radical life extension is possible.
The question is how far humanity is willing to go to change its own nature.
This series of books is an invitation to this conversation.
Book 2 of 7,
Print length 286,
Language English,
File size 1,5 Mb (Zip, Pdf)
Contents
Prologue of the series “Biological Immortality of Human”
Introduction by the author
- Genetic code of life
Why the fate of an organism is largely recorded in DNA.
Part I
Genetic code discovery
- The Birth of Genetics by Gregor Mendel.
- Chromosomal theory of heredity
- Discovery of the DNR structure James
Watson, Francis Crick and Rosalind Franklin. - Genetic code
- Central dogma of molecular biology
- How genes drive the cell
- Human genome
Part II
Genome architecture
- DNA structure
- Nucleotides and genetic alphabet
- Genes and regulatory sites
- Non-coding DNA
- Replays and Mobile Items
- Human chromosomes
- Genetic diversity
- DNA polymorphisms
Part III
Genetics of centenarians
- Who are long-livers
- High life expectancy populations
- Superlower genome
- Protective mutations
- Genetic drivers of disease resistance
- Genes associated with longevity
- FOXO gene and stress resistance
- SIRT gene family
- mTOR signaling pathway
Part IV
Epigenetics – the second level of genetics
- What is epigenetics
- DNA methylation
- Histone modifications
- Regulation of gene activity
- Epigenetic clock
- Biological age
- Epigenetic aging
- Opportunities for epigenetic rejuvenation
Part V
Genome repair
- DNA damage
- Repair mechanisms
- DNA repair enzymes
- Reparation errors
- Genomic instability
- DNA and age-related diseases
Part VI
Genetic reprogramming
- Cell reprogramming
- Discovery of induced stem cells
- Yamanaki factors
- Biology of cellular rejuvenation
- Tissue rejuvenation
- Regenerative Medicine Opportunities
- Genetic therapy of aging
Part VII
The future of human genetics
- Personalized medicine
- Genetic disease prevention
- Genome editing technologies
Epilog
- Is it possible to rewrite the genetic aging program?
Biological Immortality of Human (series of 7 ebooks)
Genetics of Longevity (eBook two)
Author Andrew Shamov
© Shamov.info Publishing House, 2026
