Heylighen Francis
Evolution, Complexity and Cognition group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
Curr Aging Sci. 2014;7(1):60-75. doi: 10.2174/1874609807666140521095925.
Aging is analyzed as the spontaneous loss of adaptivity and increase in fragility that characterizes dynamic systems. Cybernetics defines the general regulatory mechanisms that a system can use to prevent or repair the damage produced by disturbances. According to the law of requisite variety, disturbances can be held in check by maximizing buffering capacity, range of compensatory actions, and knowledge about which action to apply to which disturbance. This suggests a general strategy for rejuvenating the organism by increasing its capabilities of adaptation. Buffering can be optimized by providing sufficient rest together with plenty of nutrients: amino acids, antioxidants, methyl donors, vitamins, minerals, etc. Knowledge and the range of action can be extended by subjecting the organism to an as large as possible variety of challenges. These challenges are ideally brief so as not to deplete resources and produce irreversible damage. However, they should be sufficiently intense and unpredictable to induce an overshoot in the mobilization of resources for damage repair, and to stimulate the organism to build stronger capabilities for tackling future challenges. This allows them to override the trade-offs and limitations that evolution has built into the organism's repair processes in order to conserve potentially scarce resources. Such acute, "hormetic" stressors strengthen the organism in part via the "order from noise" mechanism that destroys dysfunctional structures by subjecting them to strong, random variations. They include heat and cold, physical exertion, exposure, stretching, vibration, fasting, food toxins, micro-organisms, environmental enrichment and psychological challenges. The proposed buffering-challenging strategy may be able to extend life indefinitely, by forcing a periodic rebuilding and extension of capabilities, while using the Internet as an endless source of new knowledge about how to deal with disturbances.
衰老被分析为动态系统所具有的适应性自发丧失和脆弱性增加的现象。控制论定义了系统可用于预防或修复干扰所造成损害的一般调节机制。根据必要多样性定律，可通过最大化缓冲能力、补偿行动范围以及关于针对何种干扰采取何种行动的知识来控制干扰。这提示了一种通过增强生物体适应能力来使其恢复活力的总体策略。通过提供充足的休息以及大量营养物质（氨基酸、抗氧化剂、甲基供体、维生素、矿物质等）可优化缓冲。通过使生物体面临尽可能多样的挑战可扩展知识和行动范围。理想情况下，这些挑战应短暂，以免耗尽资源并造成不可逆转的损害。然而，它们应足够强烈且不可预测，以在动员资源进行损害修复时引发超调，并刺激生物体建立更强的应对未来挑战的能力。这使它们能够超越进化在生物体修复过程中设置的权衡和限制，以节约潜在稀缺资源。这种急性的“ hormetic”应激源部分通过“噪声中产生秩序”机制增强生物体，该机制通过使功能失调的结构遭受强烈的随机变化来破坏它们。它们包括热和冷、体力消耗、暴露、拉伸、振动、禁食、食物毒素、微生物、环境丰富化和心理挑战。所提出的缓冲 - 挑战策略可能能够无限期延长寿命，通过迫使能力进行周期性重建和扩展，同时将互联网用作关于如何应对干扰的无尽新知识来源。
