Prologue of the series “Biological Immortality of Human”
Throughout the history of mankind, there has been one unchanging condition for life: a person ages and dies. Civilizations arose and disappeared, sciences developed, technology changed the world, but the biological fate of man remained the same. Sickness, ageing and death seemed as inevitable laws of nature as gravity or the change of seasons.
Therefore, for thousands of years, people have been looking for immortality not in science, but in myths.
Ancient cultures told of gods who do not age. Alchemists were looking for the elixir of life. Philosophers have speculated about the soul that survives the body. Religions promised eternal life in another world.
But the 21st century was the first period in history when the question of immortality began to move from the field of mythology to the field of science.
Modern biology has shown that aging is not a mystical process or an inevitable curse of nature. Aging is a set of biological mechanisms: the accumulation of molecular damage, changes in the work of genes, violation of cellular metabolism, the gradual depletion of the body’s recovery systems.
In other words, aging is a problem.
And any problem that can be described scientifically can theoretically be solved.
Humanity has already learned to do what until recently seemed impossible. We deciphered the human genome. We learned to observe the work of cells at the molecular level. We are beginning to understand the mechanisms that drive body development, tissue aging and regeneration.
Moreover, for the first time, we received tools that allow us to interfere with our own biology.
These changes gave rise to a new philosophical direction – transhumanism.
Transhumanism proceeds from a simple idea: a person is not obliged to forever remain the biological being that evolution formed him. Technology could allow us to push the boundaries of human capabilities – improve health, prolong life, increase intellectual capacity, and perhaps one day overcome biological aging.
This does not mean abandoning human nature. On the contrary, it is a continuation of the deepest human tradition – the desire to overcome restrictions.
The fire allowed the man to survive the cold.
Medicine has made it possible to defeat many diseases.
Science has made it possible to understand the structure of the universe.
The next step could allow a person to change themselves.
However, the path to a radical extension of life will not be easy. It will require years of research, great scientific effort and deep ethical reflection. Not all ideas will turn out to be correct. Not all technology will be safe. And perhaps many of today’s hypotheses will be revised.
But another thing is more important: for the first time in history, humanity began to ask the question not “why are we aging,” but “how to stop aging.”
This series of books is devoted to this very question.
“Biological Immortality of Human” is not a promise of eternal life or a fantasy dream. This is a study of what science already knows about aging, what technologies are being developed today and what opportunities may open up in the future.
Each volume of the series considers one side of this problem: the biology of aging, the genetics of longevity, genome editing technologies, the biochemistry of cellular processes, medical technologies of the future, practical strategies for extending life and the philosophical consequences of possible immortality.
We live in a unique historical moment.
For the first time in the history of mankind, people are beginning to understand the mechanisms of their own mortality. And perhaps it is our generation that stands at the beginning of a new era – an era in which aging will cease to be an inevitable fate.
The question is no longer whether a radical life extension is possible.
The question is how far humanity is willing to go to change its own nature.
This series of books is an invitation to this conversation.
Book 3 of 7,
Print length 241,
Language English,
File size 1,8 Mb (Pdf)
Contents
Prologue of the series “Biological Immortality of Human”
Introduction by the author
The genetic engineering revolution
How humanity learned not only to read, but also to change the genetic code.
Part I
The birth of genetic engineering
First DNA experiments
Recombinant DNA
Restrictive enzymes
Plasmids and gene transfer
Early methods of gene modification
First genetically modified organisms
Development of molecular biology
Part II
Genome editing architecture
What does it mean to “edit the genome”
Key strategies for changing genes
Cutting DNA
Cellular mechanisms of DNA repair
Non-homologous end joining (NHEJ)
Homologous recombination (HDR)
Accuracy of genetic changes
Limitations of cellular repair
Part III
CRISPR revolution
Discovery of the CRISPR bacterial system
How bacteria protect against viruses
CRISPR-Cas9 molecular mechanism
Guide RNA
Cas9 protein
Recognition of DNA target regions
Genome cutting
Repair after editing
Part IV
Development of CRISPR technologies
CRISPR system modifications
Base Editing
Prime Editing
CRISPR for gene activation
CRISPR for gene suppression
Highly accurate variants of Cas enzymes
New Cas protein systems
Part V
Alternative editing technologies
Zinc nucleases (ZFNs)
TALEN technology
Compare editing technologies
Accuracy and effectiveness of different methods
Part VI
Gene therapy
What is gene therapy
Viral vectors
Adeno-associated viruses
Lipid nanoparticles
Methods of delivery of genetic material
Gene therapy clinical trials
Treatment of hereditary diseases
Part VII
Limitations and risks
Off-target mutations
Immune responses
Genetic safety
Ethical challenges of genome editing
Part VIII
Genetic medicine of the future
Editing aging genes
Genetic treatment of age-related diseases
Prospects for life extension
Epilog
The Future of Guided Evolution
Biological Immortality of Human (series of 7 ebooks)
Genome Editing Technologies (eBook three)
Author Andrew Shamov
© Shamov.info Publishing House, 2026
