The Search for Long Life

"I have seen the occupation that God has given to the sons of men to keep them occupied. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has even put eternity in their heart." - ECCLESIASTES 3:10, 11.

THOSE ancient words of wise King Solomon accurately describe the feelings  humans have about life.  Perhaps because life is short, and death is unavoidable, humans have over the centuries yearned for something better.  History has many stories and legends of man's search for the secret to a long life.

Take, for example, Gilgamesh, a Sumerian King.  Many fanciful legends were told about his life. One, as recounted in the Epic of Gilgamesh,  purported that he made a dangerous journey to learn how to escape death. He failed in his attempt.

In the fourth century B.C.E., alchemists in China tried to concoct an elixir that was believed to prolong life.  They came up with a potion laced with mercury and elements of arsenic. It is thought that this elixir brought death to several Chinese emperors.  In medieval Europe, some alchemists attempted to make gold digestible because they believed that its corrosion-resistant properties could extend human life.

Today, some biologists and geneticists are trying to unlock the secret of aging. Like the quest for "elixir of life," their search  shows that the hope of overcoming aging and death is still very much of people's minds. But what have been the results of such research?

Next time:  The Search for Long Life - SEEKING CAUSES OF AGING TODAY

From the jw.org publications