New Mars Forums

It is clear that colonizing space will not be an easy endeavor and to succeed human beings will need to be able to live longer and withstand difficult environmental stresses. In order to do so successfully we will need to, either through genetic manipulation or natural means, to extend our common life span. One interesting method, verified by evolutionary biologists, is of extending life spans through delayed reproduction. Simply meaning that if generations of females of a given species are denied reproduction through natural or artificial methods until the latest possible moment the species will slowly extend longevity, endurance and resiliency. Professor Michael R. Rose at UCLA amongst others have reproduced species of fruit flies that live two times longer or more. He has proven that there is no upper limit to age as long as the species lives long enough to reproduce.
If the colonists of Mars, through the probable delay of childbirth amongst the female scientists and technicians, were to live twice as long or more then it would be the Martian culture that would probably be the ones to eventually leave our solar system to colonize our interstellar neighborhood.