Among other myths, it should be mentioned first of all the idea that there is a Maximum life expectancy (MLE) equal to 100-120-140-170 years, etc. (depending on the personal preferences of the authors), and it can be achieved, it is enough just to study the experience and device of long-livers.
However, the available fixed maximum life spans are the Record life span (RLS) the exception is that the tails of the curves of the normal distribution of signs are impossible for any large part of the population to achieve. Such tails are typical for any statistical distribution and can only be oriented on the life expectancy policy. In addition, the MLE, in general, cannot exist as a definite digit: the extinction of a population is a probabilistic law (a curve, not a digit) and there is always some probability of living longer than a given limit. You can only talk about what percentage of the remaining population (and accordingly what percentage of the extinct population) is considered as the basis of the MLE, which should rather be interpreted as SLE (the species limit of life).
At the same time, a sharp increase in mortality with age leads to the fact that the differences between the life span of the remaining 1%, 0.1%, 0.01% and so on, the populations differ not even by years, but by months, therefore the MLE it is quite adequate to consider the life span of the life span for the remaining 1% or even 510% of the population
The notion that mortality is determined only by a specific cause, and by removing specific causes we remove the mortality itself, indefinitely extending the life span the typical myth of doctors. This gave rise in the middle of the last century to numerous movements for general improvement. A number of longitudinal studies, however, showed that mortality in such groups, usually focused on the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, as the main cause of death, decreases very slightly, although the mortality from cardiovascular diseases itself is quite pronounced there is a redistribution of mortality: Compensatory phenomenon of mortality, with increased mortality from other causes. For a gerontologist biologist, however, it is quite obvious that mortality is the result primarily of a decrease in viability, and causes of mortality are secondary: mortality does not add up as the sum of causes, but decomposes according to them, while the specific causes of death and internal super-strong effects for the body.
The concepts of the relationship between aging and evolutionary processes are widespread (Flatt, Schmidt, 2009; Giaimo, 2014; Hughes, 2010; Kirkwood, Melov, 2011). The myth that aging is evolutionarily important: like the death of old for opening the road to the young is a typical myth of non-specialists in the field of evolutionary theory and ecology. It has long been known, however, that in real life with very high mortality to old age, almost no wild animal survives. On the other hand, in many cases, age experience (birds, mammals) or sizes that increase constantly with age (fish) reduce (!), and do not increase, actual mortality under natural conditions. In addition, evolution can only affect the reproductive period, and the older ages are simply not visible to it. Evolutionary influences are important in a certain form evolutionary found mechanisms of maximum adaptation are not required for the period of aging, and if they are important for the maturity period but have off or mismatch mechanisms with age and other unfavorable moments, these features will appear in old age as regulatory mechanisms aging (typically climax).
A whole group of myths is connected with the possibilities of absolute regeneration of all structures of the body or, on the contrary, with the programmed aging and death, which leads to ideas about biological hours of death (Kirkwood, Melov, 2011; Afanasev, 2010; Olovnikov, 2005; Rando, Chang, 2012; Walker, 2011). This is usually associated with cellular self-renewal: with the fact that cells, on the one hand, have a life limit within them (Hayflick phenomenon), on the other hand, many cells are immortal in culture, and on the third side, only stem cells are immortal and only update all body tissues. In fact, everything here is not true. It has long been shown that the Hayflick phenomenon is a purely cultural phenomenon and only for a limited cell type, with which the author himself had long agreed, preferring now stochastic ideas about the nature of aging (Hayflick, 2007). Cells in culture change over time, mutate and undergo selection, so over time, it is a different culture (this is well known to practitioners who initially work with one type of cells for a long time the results obtained on cultures of the same cells with different groups of scientists are contradictory).
It is known that self-renewal of cells, such as the liver, is primarily due to the liver cells themselves, and not stem cells this is clearly seen when regenerating it in an experiment, when almost all hepatic cells can enter during the first regenerative mitosis during the day; only when such regeneration is blocked, stem cells begin to be activated in significant quantities the so-called oval liver cells (Strick-Marchand et al., 2008). Stem cells are not immortal silent stem cells eventually die for purely probabilistic reasons and mechanisms; stem cells that emerged into division form populations that are also depleted over time, some are replaced by other populations. Whether dividing stem cells can go to rest and replenish the silent pool of stem cells, and not only differentiate into more specific, highly differentiated tissue cells, remains little understood. With aging, rather, the active effects of an old organism on the stem and other cells are revealed, which can be seen in systems of syngeneic transfer between young and old animals (Albright, Makinodan, 1976; Gorskaya, 2011).
The notion that there is an aging program is another widespread myth (Kirkwood, Melov, 2011; Olovnikov, 2005; Rando, Chang, 2012). It is enough, however, to indicate that they ignore (or rather, do not understand or even do not know) stochastic processes, which naturally direct any systems to decay, and which do not require any special program for this. It is easy to understand on the basis of a mechanical analogue: a mechanical machine is created according to the drawings according to the program, but when it starts to be used, the program is completed and its aging goes not according to the program, but according to the stochastic mechanism, due to the law of increasing entropy.
Thus, it is quite clearly seen that the basis of all the myths about aging is the lack of knowledge of scientific methodology and the inability to apply theoretical methods on the one hand, while inflating particulars on the other. As a result of the extreme specialization of the sciences, there are almost no scientists with a broad view there are narrow specialists who do not see the big picture. On the other hand, there is the issuance of their own desires for scientific truth, as well as abstract reasoning for experimentally verified facts.
In questions about the cause of aging, the main mistake is a lack of understanding of the epistemological (theory of knowledge) fundamentals: the reason is not a specific mechanism, but a principle, another level of problem analysis. For the reason they give out various particular mechanisms, which leads to the theories of aging that grow beyond any measure and which do not see each other and any other mechanisms of aging.
The lack of systematic thinking does not allow us to see the problem of aging in general, and the lack of consideration of the hierarchy of the structure of the system does not allow us to see a qualitative difference in the manifestations of aging for different levels of organization of living systems.
Modern scientific analysis of the aging process should be carried out at a high level of abstraction, describing aging as a general phenomenon of the world, pointing out the most common mechanisms of aging and discovering fundamental ways of influencing them; should allow a general mathematical idea, the conclusions of which should not contradict the well-established experimental data on aging, in particular, the probability distribution of age-related mortality, and also clearly indicate the main physicochemical and biological mechanisms of aging.
Only for a man the question of prolonging life and preserving the personality, and especially the question of aging as a phenomenon of life, has become urgent. This, in particular, means that a person currently does not obey the laws of biological evolution and opens up to him purely human tasks and prospects for further development, based on the peculiarities of a human being his intellect and psyche.
The real victory over aging means not the frozen eternal youth, but its further development in the physical and spiritual sense, controlled by the person himself.
For the level of all mankind the taking under control of the biological nature of man and its further controlled development on the basis of a fundamentally new, that only man has his mind and psyche.
1.2. History of views on the aging process
Aging of living organisms is difficult to study in the framework of a single discipline; therefore, this complex process is studied in various fields of science: biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, demography, mathematics, medicine, and sociology (Anisimov, 2008; Atwood, Bowen, 2011; Burnet, 1970; Comfort, 1988; Babaeva, Zuev, 2007; Chebotarev, 1984; Chernilevsky, 2008; Dean, 1988; Gladyshev, 2012; Bogomolets, 1938; Gavrilov, Gavrilov, 1986; Davydovsky, 1966; Dilman, 1981; Dogel, 1922; Freitas, de Maga-lhães, 2011; Frolkis V.V., Muradjan, Fuente et al., 2011; Giaimo, 2014; Gompertz, 1825; Gorskaya et al., 2011; Harrison et al., 1982; Hayflick, 2007; Hughes, 2010; Jarygun, 2003; Khavinson, Konovalov, 2008; Khalyavkin A.V., Jashin, 2004; Kirkwood, Melov, 2011; Kishkun, 2008; 1967; Korshelt, 1925; Mechnikov, 1908, Nesterenko, 1984; Oliveira et al., 2010; Olovnikov, 2005; Rando, Chang, 2012; Semenkov et al.., 2005; Streler, 1964; 1992; Shabalin, 2005; Shmalgausen, 1926; Sohal, Orr, 2012; van Leeuwen et al., 2010; Veisman, 1914; Vojtenko, Poljuhov, 1986; Walford, 1969; Walker, 2011; Zavadsky, 1923).
General questions of the biology of aging and the specific manifestations of aging in various organisms in evolution are considered, for example, in reviews (Dean, 1988; Flatt, Schmidt, 2009; Freitas, de Magalhães, 2011; Hayflick, 2007; Hughes, 2010; Kirkwood, Melov, 2011; Masoro, Austad, 2011; Sohal, Orr, 2012; Vern et al, 2011; Walford, 1969).
The method of theoretical consideration of the issue is earlier than the experimental one, and no less important, and in some cases even the only possible way to obtain information on the most general laws, causes and essence of the phenomenon.
Gerontology studies the age dynamics of the vitality of the human body, the manifestations of aging at all hierarchical levels from molecules and cells to organ systems and the whole organism, factors affecting viability, statistical patterns that characterize age-related changes in mortality in populations and in certain groups of the population, having certain differences related to gender, profession, ethnic characteristics, etc., as well as diagnostic methods for the aging of the whole organism and its parts and possible of life and would impact on aging with a view to slowing down and appeals.
The basis of modern scientific views on the essence of life and being in general is the doctrine of development, change, evolution, progress of all things, which, however, was known in ancient times: Everything is in motion, everything flows, there is no rest and rest (Heraclitus Ephesus, 480 y.).
One of the oldest explanations of the main cause of aging as a phenomenon inherent in living organisms was the study of the life force (Aristotles entelechy), which tends only to be wasted over time for any born organism, the beginnings of life and death. These ideas served as the basis for the development of the whole complex of theories of wear of the body from Mop (1888) and Gertvig (1914), who considered that the body wears like a machine, to modern theories of wear their specific material substratum of this wear unique genes, etc..
With the development of modern narrowly specialized science, the criticism of general notions as idealistic was replaced by crude materialism, which often reduces the reason, manifested as a general, to its particular specific manifestations.
Not surprisingly, as a result, all theories of aging, based on particular propositions, failed and are recognized only as a description of the mechanisms of aging, but not its root causes. It is impossible not to see the continuity between the term life force and the terms vitality, which are essential for medicine, biology and gerontology. Similarly, the dual entelechy corresponds to the antagonism of catabolism and anabolism, or the opposite of the systemic process of destructive aging and the opposing complex of adaptations and increase in the vitality of the organism.
Interestingly, it is the general idea of the spontaneous loss of life-ability that is currently the cornerstone of all scientific gerontology. This idea was, in particular, the basis of the famous B. Gomperz formula (1825), which most accurately describes the mortality of man and, apparently, of most other organisms. Gompertz also noted the similarity of curves of changes in mortality and entropy, and Perks (1932) directly wrote that the inability to resist destruction has the same nature as energy dissipation (that is, aging is equivalent to an increase in entropy, which serves as a measure of the disorder of any system).
The well-known biologist of aging, A. Comfort, in his famous, classic classical Biology of Aging (1967), explicitly states that the mysterious entelechy and vitality at the modern level of understanding can be reduced to a fairly specific, though not the real substrate at the present time it seems quite probable that the information contained in the cells is that biological energy, the existence of which was previously assumed and which was thought to be wasted with age.
The fact that entropy for any closed system only increases in time has long been known as the most general law of Being.
Life opposes the flow of entropy, organizing a counter-flow of order, however, effective opposition is possible only if all levels of the system are updated at all levels. For this reason, life as a whole does not age but develops, but by changing all forms organisms. The organism, being by its nature a complete morpho-functional object, can only grow old immediately after cessation of growth and development. This pattern was grasped by many, having formed a number of theories of aging as continuation of development, end of growth and development, consequences of cell differentiation, restriction growth, special type of growth restriction, etc. However, these theories lacked methodo-logical completeness generality, which is due to the lack of an adequate language for describing general processes in general.