Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, the Death man. Although it does not sound like a good nickname, it is like this: Ramakrishnan is one of the most outstanding scientists in the world in the field of structural biology and cellular processes related to aging and death. In 2009, he received the Nobel Prize in the field of chemistry for discovering the ribosom structure, a key mobile machine responsible for gene expression.
In addition to being a leading researcher, Ramakrishnan is also a fertile author. After a huge success Gene machineThe memory in which he talks about his human and scientific journey published a powerful Why are we dyingThe book – as its name suggests – dealing with precisely illustrating dynamics regulating aging and which gradually and inevitably leads to death.
Ramakrishnan was recently in Italy in Milan, where he gave a lecture on the second edition of Milan Longevity Summit, the most vital Italian event devoted to longevity and psychophysical well -being, organized by Braincirlle Italia. It was an opportunity to get to know him and ask him a few questions. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Wired: Professor Ramakrishnan, the key question in your book sounds Why are we dying. But what exactly is death?
Venki Ramakrishnan: By death, we understand the irreversible loss of functioning ability as a coherent person. This is the result of the failure of the critical system or camera, for example heart, brain, lung or kidney failure. In this sense there is a apparent paradox: When our body, as a whole, lives, millions of cells in us constantly die and we do not even realize it. On the other hand, at the time of death, most cells in our bodies are still alive, and all organs still function and can be handed over to people in need of a transplant. But at that moment the body lost its ability to function as a whole. In this sense, it is therefore vital to distinguish the death of the cell from the death of the individual.
Speaking of death and aging, you say in your latest book that “you wanted to offer an objective look at our current understanding of these two phenomena.” What was the biggest surprise or the deepest belief that you need to consider again when writing and studying this work?
There were actually a few surprises. One of them is that death, contrary to what you might think, is not programmed by our genes. Evolution does not care about how long we live, but only chooses the ability to convey our genes, a process known as “fitness” in evolutionary biology. So selected features are those that facilitate us survive childhood and reproduce. And these features in later life cause aging and falling.
Another captivating discovery was the fact that aging is not simply caused by cell wear. The wear is constantly in all living matters, but different species have a very different life. Instead, vitality is the result of a balance between the expenditure of the resources needed to maintain and repair the body, and those that needed to develop, mature and maintain health, until it recreates and cares for offspring.