The True Meaning of Death
Not all living things die. Lobsters have no lifespan; if they aren't killed or die of disease, they can live forever. Henrietta Lacks, 31, died of cervical cancer in 1951. Her cancer cells, used in medical research, are still alive and multiplying, known as HeLa cells.
So, why do humans have a lifespan limit?
The human lifespan limit is 150 years. The oldest person to live is 122 and a half. Nature's lifespan is designed with successful reproduction as its goal. For example, salmon die after spawning, not from disease or exhaustion, but as part of their life cycle. The salmon's death after spawning provides food for the hatchlings.
Octopuses starve themselves after spawning to care for their offspring, eventually dying. This death is caused by a suicide hormone produced in their bodies after spawning. After scientists removed the glands producing this hormone, the octopuses stopped caring for their offspring after spawning and continued to live.
Mice have a lifespan limit of only four years because they face many enemies in nature and live on the brink of death every day. Wild mice typically live for 3 to 12 months, with a lifespan of 4 years being more than sufficient. Knowing their lifespan is short, there's no need to waste resources prolonging their existence; they simply focus all their resources on rapid reproduction.
Glass sponges in the ocean have a lifespan of 15,000 years. Living in the deep sea, they have no natural predators and can use more resources to sustain life, without needing to focus on reproduction. Longevity and reproductive capacity are choices nature provides to animals. If mice could live 15,000 years like glass sponges, but only grow 1 cm per year, I'm sure mice would have gone extinct long ago, leaving no fossils. If glass sponges lived only a year like mice but reproduced frantically, the deep sea would be filled with glass sponges, and everyone would starve.
Humans, such complex creatures, would consume far too many resources to achieve longevity, impacting growth and reproduction. Therefore, living to 30 years old is sufficient for humans to reproduce and care for the next generation. Humans are at their healthiest up to 30, followed by aging and illness. Nature wants humans to live shorter lives, ensuring the next generation has sufficient living space and food.
Drawing inspiration from glass sponges, I believe it's technologically feasible to alter human DNA to promote slow growth and make humans less resistant to harsh environments, in exchange for longevity and prolonged youth.
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