217: Chapter 217: Immortality? Do we really need to discuss such a simple topic?

Jiang Zhe nodded slightly. "Anytime."

Professor Zhou, sitting opposite him, began to ask his questions:

"Student J, your insights in the field of physics earlier were quite impressive."

"Now, let's switch channels and enter the realm of life sciences."

"I won't be like physics—all grand and empty, full of fantasy and conjecture; I prefer to talk about practical, difficult issues that will actually arise in the future."

"My first question: please set aside scientific imagination and, based on the existing biological cognitive framework with reasonable logical deduction, talk about the possible ways to achieve eternal life, as well as the biological and broader impacts if eternal life truly becomes a reality in the near future."

As soon as the question was asked, the viewers were stunned for a moment before their excitement was completely piqued.

"Eternal life? Holy crap, the style of this exam question changed so suddenly!"

"Going from cosmic code to immortality? Professor Zhou, your imagination is quite wild too, and you even said not to talk about scientific imagination!"

"Is this something that can be discussed publicly?"

"Haha, do a bunch of old biology scholars love exploring eternal life because they're afraid their lifespans aren't enough?"

"..."

It was no wonder the viewers were excited; Jiang Zhe had previously been focused on high-concept scientific imagination and rarely spoke about these reality-level issues.

Now that the professor had asked, the viewers were looking forward to seeing how Jiang Zhe viewed eternal life.

Kyoto History Family Quarter.

Professor Liu Guangyi spat out a mouthful of the sugar-free Sprite he had just sipped. "You old rascal, what on earth are you doing? You're struggling with your own longevity regulation project, yet you jump straight to asking about eternal life. Are you testing the student or just being difficult?"

"No, you clearly think Xiao Jiang is omnipotent and want to squeeze some real insights out of him, you old fox!"

Professor Chen, Professor Qian, and Professor Wang couldn't help but grin.

Inside the villa's living room, Jiang Zhe was indeed a bit dazed by such a simple question.

Does such a simple topic really need to be discussed? Even if you took this chance to ask how to achieve longevity evolution, I could even tell you some plans and implementation measures from my previous life's think tank that could definitely extend a person's life by 50 years.

Seeing Jiang Zhe's troubled expression, a barely visible smirk appeared at the corner of Professor Zhou's mouth, assuming he couldn't answer.

Jiang Zhe was simply unsure if the other party was giving him a freebie or if their imagination was just limited to this, but he still replied with a serious face.

"Professor Zhou, this is a very interesting question. I'll divide my answer into two parts: first the methods, then the impacts."

"Currently, the paths to eternal life or extreme longevity discussed in biology have several visible approaches. Some already have natural prototypes, while others are still in theoretical exploration."

He held up his index finger.

"1: Reversal of cellular senescence. This is the most direct approach—"

"Directly targeting telomerase to delay or stop the limit on the number of cell divisions, avoiding the arrival of the Hayflick limit."

"Developing senolytics to periodically clear 'zombie cells' that have stopped dividing and secrete harmful substances, then regulating key signaling pathways related to aging, such as mTOR and AMPK."

"This is equivalent to providing extended warranty and maintenance for the cells' lifespan!"

Xiao Yu and countless viewers frowned. What on earth was he talking about?

Just in case there were discrepancies between this world's data and his previous life's data, Jiang Zhe had to provide a deeper explanation.

"AMPK, or AMP-activated protein kinase, is the cell's master cleaner."

"It is activated during energy shortages, such as hunger or exercise, commanding cells to stop consuming, start conserving, and initiate a 'big cleanup' known as autophagy to maintain survival."

"Modern health fads on the internet and some ancestral health preservation methods reference this. The practice of eating for one day and fasting for three is based on this principle, providing a scientific basis for longevity."

"And mTOR, the mechanistic target of rapamycin, is the cell's commander."

"It is activated when nutrients are abundant, fully driving the synthesis of substances like proteins and fats to promote cell growth and proliferation."

Hearing this, Professor Zhou's eyebrows twitched. mTOR and AMPK? Very professional. "Not bad, you sound professional from the very start!"

The viewers, Old Yu, Ouyang Baili, Wang Chongyang, and others all showed expressions of surprise and curiosity.

"Please continue!" Professor Zhou gestured with his hand.

Jiang Zhe nodded slightly and then held up his middle finger.

"2: Damage repair and replacement."

"A more radical approach involves using stem cell technology or induced pluripotent stem cells, such as iPSC technology, to periodically replace aging or damaged tissues and organs."

"Similar to how a car has parts replaced periodically to keep its overall function maintained and as good as new."

"Going further, there is repair at the genetic level, using gene editing technologies like CRISPR to correct accumulated genetic mutations and epigenetic errors."

"This phenomenon is more commonly used in some wealthy circles and the entertainment industry."

"Actually, anyone could use it, but it's very expensive. Some wealthy people respect natural aging and accept the changes heaven and earth bring to the human body, while others fear passing away before spending their money, so they scramble to use it!"

As he finished, the viewers marveled.

"No wonder so many rich people still look so young after getting old..."

"Man, so that's how it is!"

"Bro is amazing!"

"..."

Wang Chongyang and Celestial Master Zhang looked at each other and nodded repeatedly.

Celestial Master Zhang spoke with great interest: "There is indeed such a saying. My Taoism has 'Tortoise Breathing,' which science explains as lowering one's metabolism to indirectly extend life."

In the villa's living room, in front of the computer, Jiang Zhe held up his ring finger and continued seriously:

"3: Structural backup and consciousness transfer."

"Actually, at this step, we have already crossed the boundaries of traditional biology."

"Completely scanning and digitizing the brain's structure and connectivity map—that is, consciousness uploading—into a more durable, repairable, or replicable carrier. As the name suggests, this involves uploading consciousness and then using cloning technology to create a new, genetically modified body into which the consciousness can be imported."

"This is equivalent to a consciousness existing eternally online, while the physical body can be constantly replaced!"

"This will happen once quantum computer memory is large enough—powerful enough to accommodate the superposition of all choices of a personality. It will then move from the research lab to medical use, then civilian use, before finally being realized."

"However, as of January 2026, this step is a bit sci-fi."

Professor Zhou naturally knew about this; the ethical issues raised by this question would be massive.

Finally, Jiang Zhe held up his pinky and said solemnly: "4: Learning from low-entropy life forms."

"Nature has cases of quasi-immortality and extreme longevity."

"For example, the Turritopsis dohrnii can theoretically cycle its life through transdifferentiation."

"There are also certain trees, like the bristlecone pine, which can live for thousands of years because their meristematic tissues remain active. And tardigrades, or water bears, can enter a state of cryptobiosis—a suspension of time—to survive extreme environments."

"Studying them might reveal the key to jumping out of the traditional aging framework."

"But there are many difficulties."

"Derivation 1: Will human appearance mutate?"

"Derivation 2: Will humans begin to undergo genetic mutations and become non-human?"

"Of course, these subsequent difficulties are not within the scope of the question you asked."

Jiang Zhe's points were very clear and organized. It didn't seem like an impromptu performance at all, but rather like a scholar who had long conducted similar research giving a comprehensive report.

These words caused the viewers, who were used to hearing Jiang Zhe talk about surreal scientific fantasies, to frown.

????

About twenty seconds later, they suddenly realized something.

Man, it turns out when our bro was tutoring Xiao Yu before, he was just playing around!

Looking at Jiang Zhe today, he is clearly a scientist, not the bro next door!

"Brothers, my impression of him has changed."

"+1, I feel like he has transcended the level of the masses; he is now an unreachable scientific bro to me!"

"Waaaah, don't be like this, I like the neighborly bro look better."

"This is what you call professional!!!"

"..."

Even Xiao Yu was stunned. The topics her brother usually explained in a way even a primary school student could understand were actually...

To accommodate his stupid sister!!!

Inside the video frame, Professor Zhou was nodding repeatedly, his eyes becoming more focused as he showed increasing interest.

"Excellent!"

"Please continue. Focus on the impacts, especially the contradictions at the biological level and the broader effects."

Jiang Zhe nodded slightly, his tone becoming more serious.

"Alright, let's assume one or more of the paths mentioned above are realized in the future."

"If individual biological eternal life becomes possible, the first shadow to emerge is entropy increase and information wear and tear in the life system."

"Just as the name implies!"

"Even if we solve cellular senescence, the inevitable random errors in DNA replication and epigenetic regulation will silently accumulate over time."

"If an individual, let's call him Xiao Ming, lives for a thousand years, ten thousand years, then a million years... this 'epigenetic drift' could eventually lead to the slow inactivation of genomic functions, causing cell identity to gradually blur."

"Life today is a piece of precision equipment, a precise instrument, and time is the most ruthless abrasive."

"Eternal life must first face the endless erosion of life by time!"

As he spoke, Jiang Zhe narrowed his eyes. "This leads to the first philosophical and identity dilemma—the ultimate manifestation of the Ship of Theseus paradox at the level of life."

"If we maintain eternal life through continuous repair and the replacement of cells or even organs, then after a hundred or a thousand years, is this individual, who has been entirely renewed in terms of material composition, still the same original person?"

"More importantly, memory is stored via neuronal connections and consolidated dynamically, and personality flows through continuous interaction with the environment."

"Ten thousand years is enough to blur and distort Xiao Ming's deepest memories and leave his original personality unrecognizable."

"The Xiao Ming who originally chose eternal life might have quietly vanished in the long drift of the consciousness continuum; what survives is merely something with fragments of Xiao Ming's original memories, yet is no longer the original Xiao Ming."

"Eternal life at this level might just be a slow, chronic suicide!"

As the impacts were explained, Professor Zhou and countless viewers and experts fell into a brief moment of deep thought.