Posted 11/8/2010

HIS 105TH BIRTHDAY

On November 11, 2110, Simon Teasdale of Westport, Connecticut will celebrate his 105th birthday at the home of Sarah, his daughter. Six generations of Teasdales are expected to attend the party.

Simon is more than active. He is downright spritely. Every morning while shaving, he sings, "I feel like a new man!"

He has reason to sing that. In many ways, Simon is a new man. At least many parts of him are.

Starting at the age of 60 he began acquiring all kinds of new body parts. His teeth are implants, a few second- and third-generation. He has a new shoulder, two new hips, two new knees and one new hand. All of these replacement parts were common back in 2010. But science has drastically improved since then. Which is why half the people born in the USA in the 21st century will live to be over 100.

From his brain to his feet, Simon has been reborn.

At age 70, Simon received a brain-augmenting computer chip which expanded his thinking speed over 20 times. (The first successful research on this procedure occurred in 2010.)

When retinitis pigmentosis took his vision at age 80, he was given a retina implant that restored his sight. (This development was first tested in 2010.)

When he developed lung cancer in his left lobes, the tissue cells and cancer cells were washed out in detergent, leaving the lobe frames intact. New cells were installed into the frames. The new cells grew to restore the lobes to healthy function. (This technique was developed in 2010.)

While painting his house, Simon fell off the ladder, splintering and shattering the bones in his left leg. In 2010, orthopedic surgeons would have attempted to put his bones together with pins and screws. But researchers had since developed a new medical glue by copying the glue secreted by sandcastle worms. Outcomes are far more successful.

When he was in his seventies, Simon injured his spinal cord in a shower fall. Donated stem cells were implanted to replace damaged nerve cells. Now you would never know he had suffered a serious nerve injury.

When Simon's legs grew weak and unsteady, a new process transformed skin cells into muscle cells, which were added to his leg muscles. Within a year, his legs had grown new muscle and he could walk steadily again. (This study was also first published in 2010.)

Because he had been a bit of a drinker in his youth, Simon's liver became damaged. No problem. The washing technique described above was applied. New cells quickly grew Simon a new liver. Scientists now use the technique to produce livers for researching the impact of new drugs, thus avoiding animal testing.

By 2110, most of the organs in the human body can be washed and replanted with healthy, growing cells in the surviving organ frames. With all his new body parts, Simon feels like joining his great-grandchildren in a little game of soccer.

But there is a downside to all this:

The retirement age has been raised to 87.

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