Comments by Dr. Viknish Krishnan Kutty (PhD, Bioengineering) on the article by Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory (source – see here the original article):
According to this article, scientists have identified synergistic cellular pathways for longevity that amplify lifespan fivefold in C. elegans, a nematode worm used as a model in aging research. The article claims that the “discovery of the synergistic interaction could lead to the use of combination therapies, each affecting a different pathway, to extend healthy human lifespan.”
From the Vedantic point of view, life as we know and see is a combination of physical elements (the physical form), and spiritual energy (spiriton or life itself). As such, this article shows that by manipulating the physical form of the organism, its overall life is elongated. This is similar to how a person who exercises and has a healthy lifestyle would have a longer lifespan. That is already known.
However, though the lifespan of the organism may be elongated, the physical body can never remain forever, and will eventually degrade. This is confirmed by Lord Krishna in chapter 2 of the ancient scripture, Bhagavad Gita:
“Those who are seers of the truth have concluded that of the nonexistent (The material body) there is no endurance and of the external (The Soul) there is no change. This they have concluded by studying the nature of both.”
From another perspective, the major flaw (that is misleading) in this article is that it infers parallels to humans, based on research from worms. Humans are enormously more complex and are governed by more intricate molecular pathways. In fact, a single organ within a human is more complex that the entire being of the worm.
Dr Viknish Krishnan-Kutty is a Biomedical Scientist in Singapore. He recently took on the role of an entrepreneur when his discovery received funding to be commercialized into a biomedical product. Apart from his scientific pursuits, Dr Viknish enjoys philosophical discussions based on science and the different aspects of spirituality.
Image of Caenorhabditis elegans from Wikimedia Commons: source