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ChristianKl comments on Open thread, Nov. 23 - Nov. 29, 2015 - Less Wrong Discussion

5 Post author: MrMind 23 November 2015 07:59AM

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Comment author: ChristianKl 25 November 2015 08:11:24PM 7 points [-]

I don't think we learn a lot through the number. It might be that multiple genes are regulated by the same mechanism and turning that mechanism down brings us forward.

Comment author: CellBioGuy 28 November 2015 07:44:34AM *  2 points [-]

Indeed, not only is this only looking at the very broad end results of what is seen to co-vary with age in a regular way completely agnostic to mechanism, it is looking only at gene expression in peripheral blood, one very highly specialized (to the point of being a liquid) tissue type.

Comment author: zslastman 26 November 2015 12:33:04PM 0 points [-]

Yeah it doesn't say much. For one thing I'd say it's just about all of the genes that are differentially expressed, if you look hard enough. Regardless, that doesn't tell us how many of them really matter with respect to the things we care about, how many causal factors are at work, or how difficult it will be to fix. Doesn't rule out a single silver bullet aging cure (though other things probably do)