The Quest for Eternal Youth: Ancient Attempts to Future Fixes
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Whether they're actually seeking immortality or they just want to look younger, people have long turned to everything from magical objects to chemical concoctions to attain the elusive goal of perpetual youth. Is there really such a thing as the Elixir of Life?
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Before Indiana Jones started searching, Christians and other believers have sought the Holy Grail, or the sacred vessel that Christ drank from at the Last Supper. According to legend, the Grail possesses a variety of mystical powers that may be conferred on the one who finds it -- among them, eternal youth.
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Famous for his work with alchemy and immortality in the 1300s and 1400s, Frenchman Nicolas Flamel created both the Philosopher's Stone and the Elixir of Life, which supposedly bestowed immortality on those who partook of it. Some believers in Flamel's work maintain that he and his wife are still alive and working on new inventions.
Image Credit: Portrait of Nicolas Flamel from La Metallique Transformation, 1618; public domain; National Library of Medicine (NLM)
Flamel's fame touched a new generation of magic lovers when his famous stone played an integral role in J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (or, in America, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"). Children and adults alike got a taste of how the desperate desire for immortality can lead to some sticky situations.
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Is aging merely a disease that can be cured with modern medicine? Dr. Aubrey de Grey, an English author and gerontologist, believes that this may be so. His work focuses on regenerative medicine and discovering ways to rejuvenate the human body and reverse the process of aging.
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The giant tortoise has one of the longest lifespans of any animal on Earth: They can live for more than 200 years. While they may not have eternal youth, they do have the evolutionary advantage of having many years in which to reproduce. Can studying tortoise genes help extend human life? That has yet to be determined.
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Ginseng root has long been used in Chinese culture in teas and other medicines, and more recently, it often shows up in energy drinks. While some claim that the root can help increase longevity of life, studies have been inconclusive. However, when mixed with other healing herbs and medications, ginseng has shown a variety of other benefits, such as increased libido and reduced fatigue. It can't hurt to brew some up in a tea!
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While legend has it that many have sought China's mystical Mount Penglai, or the Mount of the Eight Immortals, in a quest to find the Elixir of Life, the mountain remains elusive. According to Chinese lore, the Immortals gather on the island for feasts and games. While there, they enjoy bowls of food and drink that are never empty, jewels that grow on trees and magical fruits with the ability to grant eternal life.
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To unravel the mysteries of aging, you have to start at the molecular level. Without James Watson (shown here) and Francis Crick's discovery of DNA's structure in the 1950s, the accurate study of genes would have been impossible. While Watson and Crick may not have discovered any specific anti-aging methods, they paved the way for today's scientists to examine aging right where it starts.
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We've all heard of the Fountain of Youth -- but does it really exist? Supposedly, Renaissance explorer Juan Ponce de Leon came across just such a magical spring on the island of Bimini. Those who bathed in or drank from its waters were said to be restored to good health and rewarded with renewed youth. Today, the Fountain of Youth is commonly associated with Florida, but alas, there has been no proof that it can truly grant youth.
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If it were possible to drink from a spring and be granted eternal youth, would you do it? The cast of "Tuck Everlasting" acted out just such a scenario in the 2002 movie based on the children's book. In the story, young Winnie meets the Tuck family and falls in love with their young son, only to discover that the family has been drinking from a spring of youth for many years. Should she drink from it, too, so she can stay with Jesse Tuck forever? Maybe immortality isn't all it's cracked up to be.
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The Greek gods of mythology had their own tool for achieving immortality -- ambrosia. Also known as the food of the gods, ambrosia was reserved for divine beings only, and those who consumed it were said to have "ichor," or the immortal golden blood of the gods. Unfortunately, the ambrosia we eat today, usually made with fruit, coconut and marshmallows, does not appear to confer the same magic.
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You can't think of eternal youth without your mind drifting to the beloved tale of Peter Pan, the boy who refuses to grow up and lives a life of adventure with his friends in Neverland. In another example of how staying forever young may not be for everyone, Peter is unable to convince his new friend Wendy to stay with him in the magical world, and she returns home to grow up and have a daughter of her own.
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In a less innocent tale of one seeking eternal youth, Countess Elizabeth Bathory, or the "Bloody Countess" of Hungary, was famous for killing young virgins and bathing in their blood to retain her youth. Apparently, the blood of hundreds of young girls was not enough to sustain her, though -- she was found dead in her castle in 1614 at the age of 54.
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She was known for her beauty, but what was Egyptian Queen Cleopatra's secret to maintaining a youthful appearance? She bathed in a mixture of milk and honey to make her skin glow. Milk baths are still popular today, but while they may be beneficial to the skin, they definitely won't halt the aging process.
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Dr. Samuel Serge Voronoff, known by some as the instigator of modern medicine in Europe, was a controversial figure for his work in anti-aging. In his experiments in the early 1900s, Voronoff performed hundreds of surgeries, mostly on sheep and goats, grafting the testicles of the younger animals to the older ones -- according to him, the transplants reinvigorated the older animals. Later, his work extended to humans when he grafted parts of chimpanzee testicles into a patient's scrotum. In the end, more than 500 men were treated with this technique.
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American inventor Ray Kurzweil is dedicated to maintaining his youth for as long as possible. To slow the aging process, he takes about 150 pills a day and drinks glass after glass of alkaline water and green tea. Kurzweil has also joined a cryonics company -- when he dies, he'll be preserved and frozen in liquid nitrogen. Will medical technology ever be able to revive him? Only time will tell.
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Can miniature robots in our bodies help repair aging genes? Advances in nanotechnology may lead to tiny nanobots that can actually cure the body from the inside. Whether this will be a breakthrough in anti-aging, however, remains to be seen.
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Stem cell research is constantly in the news today, and it's highly controversial. How should the research be used? Some maintain that it should be used only to research cures for existing diseases like Alzheimer's, while others are excited by the potential to discover new anti-aging methods.
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It may not prolong your life, but some believe in the power of plastic surgery to maintain a youthful appearance for as long as possible. As with any surgery, facelifts come with risks, but some who want to put on a younger face believe that it's worth it.
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Much talked about for their various surgeries and injections, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills seem to want to stay forever young. But are they fooling anyone?
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How about a little CO2? Carboxytherapy involves injecting small amounts of carbon dioxide just beneath the surface of the skin. Supposedly, this increases blood circulation, leading to improved skin elasticity and a reduction of lines and wrinkles.
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To help fight aging without needles, pills or magic, pop some blueberries into your morning cereal. Antioxidants are an easy -- and delicious -- way to fight against free radicals and slow down the effects of aging on cells. If you're not a fan of blueberries, there are plenty of other fruits and vegetables that pack a healthy punch of antioxidants.
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Some believe that gene therapy -- replacing old or deficient genes with artificial ones -- is playing God. Should it be used to prevent disease or extend life, or should the research be abandoned altogether? The debate continues.
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Want another easy way to keep your skin looking young? Wear sunscreen! Not only does it help prevent skin cancer, but it also staves off wrinkles, age spots and other skin ailments that can make you look older than your years.
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Forget the at-home facial -- today, some are swearing by the gold facial, in which sheets of gold are applied to the face to produce anti-aging benefits. We knew it was nice for the bank account, but who knew that gold had healing properties?
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Known for her glamorous lifestyle and her beauty, actress Elizabeth Taylor was also constantly followed by rumors of plastic surgery throughout her career. Even after her death in 2011, fans are still debating whether certain parts of her face were real or "reimagined."
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If you don't like the idea of gold on your face, how about apples? Optimum, a cream made from Swiss apple stem cells and released in 2010, claims "overnight skin renewal." OK, so it probably won't transform your face overnight, but the serum may help smooth and rejuvenate your skin over time.
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Probably today's most popular anti-aging method aside from creams and lotions, Botox was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2002, and it's been used to fill in wrinkles and frown lines in the upscale crowd ever since. In the latest controversy, some mothers have been allowing their children to receive Botox injections as teenagers -- before real age lines even appear.
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Is it worth a slightly younger appearance to have a needle poked into your face? That's up to you -- though some may prefer seeking the Fountain of Youth or the Elixir of Life in an attempt to stay young forever.
Now that you've seen some of the extremes humans have gone to in order to preserve youth, check out our list of 10 innovations that extend human life!
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