Why do humans die?
The fact that we as a species are mortal is a very obvious one. From diseases to aging, to natural disasters, and more, humans are constantly aware of the fact that death is the ultimate end. Death is inevitable, but why is it so?
The reason behind mortality
In a very sad way, organisms grow old because nature doesn't need them anymore.
The truth remains that the purpose of life is to replicate and procreate successfully, hence it helps us stay long enough for us to generate a future generation and provide them with food and opportunities.
Immortality arrives with your offspring and is only guaranteed when all your children also have children.
We can look at this from a larger perspective by taking into account other species.
For example, an oyster, salmon, or fruit flies a huge number of eggs somewhere safely and die.
On the other hand, the process isn’t as simple in the case of a tigress or a dolphin.
They go beyond just giving birth.
They have to bear the young, rear them, provide food daily, and guide them to maturity.
In the case of our species, we get a longer grace period as we can be very useful to our grandchildren, and if lucky, to their children too.
There is some evolutionary pressure on us to stay alive that little bit longer. On top of that, humans possess some other bonuses.
These bonuses can be in the form of resources from society, technology to keep us safe and scientific advancements to ensure that we are healthy and active for a little longer.
However, eventually the biological cock of our begins to run down.
Our cells that were constantly renewing themselves, will slowly start failing.
Our heart that has spent a lifetime beating, will trickle down to a slow end.
Our joints, bones, and muscles start to wear out in a way that they cannot hold the weight of the body anymore.
Our skin starts shedding and our brains start shrinking, eyes begin to fail, hearing fades away, organs start becoming cancerous as the memory starts perishing.
Even though aging seems inevitable, for some scientists, it isn't obvious why this process is something that cannot be changed or reversed.
According to research, human chromosomes seem to arrive with their ticking clocks or timing devices called telomeres.
Yet, scientists haven’t precisely understood why and how telomeres are linked to aging is still not understood.
Some genes seem to dictate survival rates in fruit flies, nematode worms, and mice, and these genes almost certainly exist in humans, but what works in an insect or even another mammal may not be much help to a human anxious to hang around a bit longer.
Luckily technology and scientific advancements have truly made leaps and bounds of success in this field. In the last half of the 20th century, life expectancies have been increasing rapidly.
This has significantly been witnessed in countries of the developed and developing worlds. Scientists in these countries have shown great promises of a larger future.
With appropriate sanitation, nutrition, education, and medical care; there is a high chance that we might be able to extend the human lifespan indefinitely.
