Lily Nguyen
James C. Enochs High SchoolClass of 2023Modesto, California
About
Hi! My name is Lily Nguyen, and my project is on biological immortality in the animal kingdom and how it relates to the possibilities of naturally extending human lifespan. I first became fascinated with the concept of biological immortality after learning that over 1 out of 5 Americans have a fear of death, myself included!Projects
Lily's Symposium Presentation
Project Portfolio
Keeping up with the Immortal Jellyfish: Biological Immortality in the Animal Kingdom & Applications for Prolonging Human Lifespan
Started July 6, 2022
Abstract or project description
Biological immortality is the state in which organisms do not die of old age or the natural and inevitable breakdown
of cells over time. Although biological immortality is not currently the reality in humans, as our rate of mortality
increases as we age, interestingly enough, biological immortality has been observed throughout the animal kingdom
in organisms including the Hydra flatworm, Turritopsis dohrnii jellyfish, lobsters, and tardigrades. To achieve the
shared goal of biological immortality, however, the aforementioned organisms employ various different mechanisms
ranging from controlling FoxO gene expression to reversibly halting metabolism. The following paper overviews this
variety of mechanisms and attempts to apply them to humans in order to evaluate the question: “Is it possible for
humans to become biologically immortal?”