Could we slow down life?

Question

As far as I know there is no absolute time measurement (one that would measure time in a non-environment-dependent fashion) in any life form. Only such time measurements exist, which are dependent upon cyclic changes like the strength of the sunlight, heat, amount of water, etc. (In case this assumption of mine is false, than please answer it in mind of life forms which in deed have only relative) **Theoretically, if we could change everything a given life form is dependent upon, could we increase it's entire lifespan?** For example if we were to put a plant inside a manually controllable environment and slow down the day/night cycle to it's third, maybe even decrease air pressure and the strength of gravity(thus eliminating any problem that might arise from the actual transport of water and the solution of organic matters produced in photosynthesizing cells), change (even though I'm not sure if this could be physically possible at all, but my whole question is theoretical, thus it should not cause a problem) the adhesion/cohesion as well (so the speed of transports in the cells would change accordingly) and change other, (for me) unthinkable aspects that, for example, regulates the time between cell divisions, would it live for longer? Even if we could not change every aspect that regulates a given life form's working, changing many could we (although this time not linearly) increase it's actual lifespan?

Answer 1

Your answer (drumroll) -- you can slow down life processes, just decrease the temperature for a "cold-blooded" creature. Problem is, it needs to eat sometime, and digestion regrettably must be at the higher temperature, else food rots inside ....

Slowing down the nervous system, by bromide substitution for chloride, doesn't as far as I know extend lifespan, though it does sedate reversibly.

Mammalian cells are preprogrammed for a certain number of cell divisions, usually -- except for stem cells. But they can't carry out the specialized duties of a multicellular organism. If you evade that, you have immortal cells -- but they are cancerous. Oh, soooo bad! Some work recently on controlling the senescence process (chromosome telomerase inhibition), but it's touchy -- too little, no effect, too much, cancer.

Putting mammals under lower gravity has regrettable effects -- bones decalcify, maybe other stuff.

Certain lower critters can enter suspended animation -- bacteria sporulate, tartigrades form tuns, and so on -- but I don't suspect that's of much use to humans!

Oh, one more thing -- you can downregulate certain energy handling systems of the body -- by cautious titration with hydrogen sulfide, for example -- but then you just lie around a while, near death. Reversible back to full life, if you don't overdo it (then really dead, full-time). Don't know if lasting mental damage -- wouldn't be ethical to try on a human, for example.

--- Cheers, -- Mr. d.