Cats and Dogs to Live Longer

The strange and perpetual desire for people to live longer has thrown up its latest possibilities, which are going to be tested on dogs and cats perhaps. It's just another form of animal testing it seems to me.


Scientists say they have a good idea why we age. The aging process is governed by substances called "telomeres". These are sections of DNA. They shorten as we get older.

The idea is to stop them getting shorter so we live longer. It is believed that we can manufacture a chemical that stimulates a gene to produce a substance called "telomerase", which will do the job.

As there is no chance of trying this stuff out on people - God forbid - they plan to put the chemical in dog food to see if the dogs live longer.

I guess it is a long term trial.

I think the scientists are barking up the wrong tree. Firstly most people don't want to live longer. We live too long already. Second, we should not conduct animal testing in any shape of form if it is for our intended benefit.

I don't believe that we have the right to do that. I know that is a controversial statement but I'll stick by it nonetheless.



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