Chapter 570: Chapter 434: A New System Function Appears?!
Zhao Heng realized quickly that no matter the technology, bottlenecks are inevitable. Like Zhao Heng, even though he has integrated the skills and experiences of many elite doctors, there remains an issue: Zhao Heng’s highest level of technology in a certain field is determined by the peak level of that field.
Once this peak level is reached, progress stagnates.
[System, detect which technologies I can currently break the limits of.]
Zhao Heng thought for a moment and issued a command in his mind.
It took a full ten minutes before the system responded.
[Ding! After detection, the technologies that the host can currently break the limits of are: stem cell cultivation, genetic engineering, and nanotechnology.]
[System, I’ve integrated so many technologies, and only these three can break the limits?]
[Yes, after system detection, these three technologies are currently at the peak level in this world, meeting the conditions for breaking the limit. The rest have not reached this level.]
Ah, that’s how it is. Hearing the system’s response, Zhao Heng understood.
Stem cell cultivation and nanotechnology have been formed by integrating the technical experiences of Professor Li Hongwei and several other related professors. In these areas, domestic research has overtaken at curves, reaching the world’s most advanced level.
And genetic engineering naturally borrows from Dr. William’s expertise, which is also said to be world-leading in genetic engineering.
Other various surgical techniques acquired from doctors at Eastern Hospital probably don’t reach the strongest level worldwide.
[Host, would you like to start breaking the limits?]
The system said again in Zhao Heng’s mind.
[Go ahead.]
Zhao Heng issued the command, curious to see what breaking the limits would be like.
In an instant, Zhao Heng felt a profound realization, as if he had been researching for many years in stem cell cultivation, genetic engineering, and nanotechnology. The knowledge and experience that emerged after breaking these limits also appeared in Zhao Heng’s mind immediately.
Whew~
This is awesome!
This was Zhao Heng’s first impression.
It felt like being stuck in one place for a long time, and now it was suddenly unblocked.
For instance, in stem cell cultivation, he could previously only cultivate single type stem cells, like epithelial cells or nerve cells, not complex differentiation to directly cultivate an organ from stem cells.
But after breaking the technology limit, Zhao Heng could directly use stem cells to cultivate a complete human organ.
And after breaking through nanotechnology, the greatest advancement was in the field of nanomedical robots. Previously, it was only possible to release drugs directionally using nanomaterials. Now, Zhao Heng could create the first generation of nanorobots. These nanorobots could enter the body, reach the lesion site through programming, and repair local tissues and cells.
Most crucially, genetic engineering. Although Zhao Heng cannot yet break the telomerase limitations in genes to free humanity from life span issues and achieve immortality, he can start addressing some genetic hereditary diseases.
Moreover, with Zhao Heng’s currently limit-broken genetic engineering capabilities, he can perform certain targeted genetic modifications on the human body, which can be used not only for treating diseases but also for enhancing the human body to achieve certain special effects.
This was indeed a huge surprise!
Zhao Heng couldn’t help but think.
He originally thought that this would be his life. Even with a golden finger, he could only wait for technology to improve step by step, following progress. But now, it seems he can do much more.
At this moment, boundless heroism surged in Zhao Heng’s heart.
What Zhao Heng thought of first, what he most wanted to start doing, was researching the expression of longevity genes.
If we knew our lifespan limit, would we arrange our time more reasonably? If someone told you human genes would change and average lifespan would extend by decades to centuries, how would you plan your extra time? What impact would there be on society?
This year, a researcher from a medical research institute in the United States published a paper in a top international journal "Nature" subjournal. He claimed that simply changing the expression of the ubiquitously present P26 gene in organisms could extend human lifespan by 20% to 30%. Many studies have shown that cells can extend their own lifespan by increasing autophagy, degrading and recycling old, broken, and damaged proteins. Autophagy is the term we use for this process.
Of course, cell autophagy is not a random choice, but highly selective. This means that cells will smartly recycle waste in a way similar to garbage classification. Then, the different types of "waste" are transported to the cell’s "recycling center". Similarly, the P26 gene also has the capability to transport discarded mitochondria to recycling centers, allowing damaged mitochondria due to aging to be repaired, thus achieving the purpose of delaying aging and extending lifespan for humans. In addition to the P26 gene, researchers in the US slightly adjusted two gene pathways in laboratory worms, C. elegans, extending their lifespan by five times.
Pankaj Kapashi, the chief scientist at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Novato, California, said their experiments increased worm lifespans by five times. Such genetic mutations start a positive feedback loop in specific tissues that extend lifespan. Essentially, these worms could live up to the equivalent of 400 to 500 human years. If such gene mutations are applied to humans, living up to 500 years would no longer be a dream.
So, what impact would prolonged lifespan have?
Firstly, with increased lifespan and age, our wisdom might also increase. After all, accumulating experience from more years and more endeavors might make us incredibly capable of understanding and changing the world.
Secondly, new societal structures might emerge. Imagine becoming a great-great-grandfather, living with your descendants. What would that scenario be? Worrying about whether the next generation is progressive or enjoying family bliss?
Then, we might have a more stable society. With increased human lifespan, societal transformation starts stabilizing, and people become accustomed to the current social order. We can’t deny that history is an excellent teacher, but if we become part of history, personally experiencing an era, you might even be written into books and become an immortal legend.
Moreover, with extended human lifespan, we would gain additional maturity. Mistakes made due to youthful frivolity can be learned from across centuries of growth, or some unresolved issues might be suddenly understood, leading to a more successful and joyful life in the future.
Finally, we would have a more diversified economy. With the simultaneous existence of people aged 250 and 50 in society and their different needs, we will develop many new products and open up new markets.
Zhao Heng also thought that there are indeed life-extending agents on the market. Like a certain wealthy Li family individual who spends several billion annually on so-called longevity injections. Of course, these injections at most extend lifespan by 3-5 months, which is already remarkable.
For those super-rich individuals, even if it’s just extending lifespan by a year, they are likely willing to exchange astronomical amounts of money for it.
