Engineering Biology Problems Book (2021, Obninsk Edition)

[74. Batin, M., Konovalenko, M., & Turchin, A. (2013). Roadmap to Immortality. Moscow, Russia:
Science for Life Extension Foundation. http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1204219]
English biogerontologist Aubrey De Gray within the framework of the program SENS («strategies for
engineered negligible senescence ») offers to get rid of the damage that accumulates during aging.
Russian scientist corresponding member of RAS Alexey Moscalev suggests increasing life
expectancy by activating the repertoire of stress resistance genes.
American futurologist Ray Kurzweil assumes reaching digital immortality.
Russian futurologist Mikhail Batin (“Science for Life Extension” Foundation) sees the ways to
achieve physical immortality in an integrated approach, first of all, solving the problem of life
extension for people already living.
Probably it is you, the reader, who will become an engineer of technologies for human immortality.
2.67. Get root authority of your body system. (by Boshuang Wang, CAU_China team iGEM 2021)
Root authority of phones is the highest authority of the Android system. After acquiring root authority
of your phone, one can easily exeturate important commands such as uninstalling or restoring system
files. Is there a possibility that one can get the root authority of his or herself body? Namely one can
control his or herself any biological processing or organ states, such as turning off your ears, fasten
growth of your hair initiatively, or even control your heartbeat. Of course, you can return these
authorities back to your body anytime and anywhere. You only need to acquire the authorities to
control these processes when necessary.
SOLUTION:
The solution to the problem is under development.
2.68. Forever chemicals (by Elsa Arksand, Stockholm team iGEM 2021)
Chemicals such as PFAS are called forever chemicals since they are very stable and do not degrade in
normal conditions. These chemicals have been a popular additive in different products such as fire
extinguisher foam, teflon pans and special heat and clean sensitive products. Even though they do not
degrade, they spread out and accumulate in different environments such as soils, fatty fish and in
humans. [1] High concentrations of these chemicals can cause negative effects on the health of
humans and other organisms and are difficult with today's technology to clean or degrade. These
forever chemicals will not stop posing as a threat in the future unless new technology and regulations
are put in place to protect humans and organisms from these pollutions.
[1. https://www.epa.gov/pfas/basic-information-pfas]
2.69. Tricky solutions (by Dmitrii Vladimirtsev, MIPT_MSU team iGEM 2021)
Sometimes, when preparing complex solutions (that is, solutions consisting of several components), a
situation arises that during the preparation process, when absolutely all components of the solution are
mixed in the correct proportions, it is still not a true solution (that is, a phase separation is visible in it:
for example, turbidity and precipitated salts). And only with intensive stirring for several minutes does
the solution become true. Why?
SOLUTION:
The thing is that some salts dissolve when the required pH of the solution and/or sufficient ionic
strength is reached. If the solution is complex (that is, containing several components), then some of
its components will begin to dissolve only after its other components have dissolved. A good example
is the preparation of a solution of TBE (Tris, Boric acid, EDTA) — if you simultaneously throw into
the water the amounts of substances required by the protocol, the experimenter will see that the
solution has become heterogeneous and most of the added precipitated. Only with intensive stirring
for several minutes will boric acid begin to dissolve in the solution, creating the necessary pH for the
complete dissolution of Tris and EDTA.