Monday, 12 August 2013

How Long You Will Live

Death Test

A ‘death test’ that could  tell you how long you have  left to live is being developed by scientists.

  • The wristwatch-style device, which has been created to encourage users to stay healthy, uses laser beams to analyse crucial cells lining blood vessels under the skin.
  • These tiny endothelial cells are a key indicator of a person’s health, and the device’s inventors say that by monitoring them they can identify those who are ageing more quickly than normal.
  • But once the test has been refined, they claim it should eventually be possible to tell a person how many years they have left. For instance, someone could be told that if they do not change their lifestyle, they are likely to die in 20 years.
  • The analysis of the endothelium –  the layer of endothelial cells in tiny blood vessels called capillaries – could also suggest whether someone has  cancer or dementia.

The Lancaster University physicists who invented the technique hope people will use the information to improve their health.


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