The Fountain of youth
This text will help you understand the new challenges of medicine and maybe what it will change in our lives.
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The idea of Progress
- This discovery represents a huge medical progress since it makes possible to heal mice from very serious diseases.
- The real question asked here is to know wether this discovery might be used for the human being. If it were possible, that would open up new possibilities such as curing cancer, dementia or other age-related diseases which might just be a great medical and human progress.
- The other question raised in these documents is: « what would happen for the elderly people? » Would they be able to live like young people? Would that change society as we know it today? It would certainly allow people to live longer and in better heath condition which is a real improvement and so, a great progress.
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Myths and Heroes
- The myth of the fountain of youth is as old as the world itself. It has always been a myth because it could not be made real. In many stories, we can find a way to become immortal might this be trough the power of a fountain or a holy grail or anything else. It represents one of the most important popular myths.
- The real breakthrough is that the ancient myth might become reality through the work of scientists. If it were to become real, then it would cease to be a myth and would turn into pure reality.
- We wonder what we would do with immortality. Would we still be humans if we were immortal? Would everybody benefit from this medical achievement? If not, what kind of society would we live in?
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Places and Forms of Power
- This scientific discovery might give more power to some people over the vast majority of human beings. Only a few might be able to afford such an expensive treatment and we might find ourselves in a world separated between the rich living longer and the poor remaining as they are.
- Busy: occupé
- Elusive: hors d'atteinte, insaisissable
- Aging: vieillissement
- Breakthrough: percée / avancée / découverte
- Cell: cellule
- Damage: dégât / dommage
- To curb: maîtriser / freiner
- Disease: maladie
- Tantalizing: attrayant
- Blood supply: approvisionnement de sang
- Skepticism: scepticisme
- Thus: par conséquent / ainsi
- Lifespan: durée de vie
- "They did it by injecting a longevity gene that reversed the decline that had been brought on by aging."