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Introduction
The Hypothesis on ageing presented in this dissertation intends to demonstrate that atmospheric oxygen pressure is a decisive factor in determining maximum and average human life span. High atmospheric oxygen pressure acts directly to shorten life span while low atmospheric oxygen pressure induces an increase in life span.
I shall demonstrate that primarily, the process of human ageing is controlled by the environment which induces adaptation changes in the Genome. The molecular component of the Genome, the DNA, interacts with atoms, ions and molecules that modify and activate the organization and expression of genes.
The genetic information encoded in the DNA, allows a single cell to initiate an organized development and multiply until generating a living organism. Changes in the Genome, i.e. amplification of a specific gene controlling growth hormone secretion, will affect the final height and size of an animal. Amplification or reduction of genes within the Genome may alter basic structures that can influence size of organs, functions of cells and tissues, and also, life span
Genes, and other DNA segments, are known to be directly affected by the chemical composition surrounding the cellular nucleus which in turn is affected by environmental factors like ambient temperature, chemical composition of ingested food or medicines, and the chemical composition of the air we breathe.
The chemical composition of the air induces acute changes in the activity of different molecules of life. For example, the molecular configuration of the protein hemoglobin is critically altered according to the lung concentrations of carbon dioxide and oxygen. Changes in the levels of respired oxygen and carbon dioxide directly affect mitochondrial activity of almost each one of the cells of an organism.
Mitochondria, is the main producer of energy in living cells. The basic processes of DNA replication, expression of genes, repair of DNA damage, are only a few of the vital physiological reactions modulated by mitochondrial oxygen respiration.
These fundamental molecular activities regulated by oxygen, directly affect the functioning of tissues and cellular processes. When changes in oxygen occur in neurons (cells of the nervous system), basic alterations might take place in the secretion of neurotransmitters and hormones, which in turn will influence the development, maturity, and the process of ageing.
Oxygen is the atmospheric component that most affects living processes. It is the most abundant element by mass on the surface of the earth, occurring in the form of water and in oxides, silicates, sulphatis and carbonates in the rocky crust of the earth. Oxygen as a free element constitutes 20.9% of the earth's atmosphere.
The 1018 kg’s of oxygen present in the Earth's atmosphere is virtually all the result of photosynthesis. Plants living in both the ocean and on land, produce annually about 8 moles of oxygen per square meter of earth surface.
The oxygen existing in the earth's atmosphere is actively maintained and regulated by plant life on the surface, that is, the biosphere.
Based on the above facts I concluded that there is a direct ecological relationship between the earth's plant kingdom total volume, and the whole oxygen concentration of the earth's atmosphere. The larger the plants mass of the earth, the higher the oxygen volume of the atmosphere.
On our planet, the atmospheric oxygen pressure varies according to altitude. The higher the location, the lower the atmospheric oxygen pressure.
In this dissertation I will propose a hypothesis of ageing based on the influences of oxygen on life span that will provide a biochemical rational justification for various facts in relation to the process of human ageing.
I will provide an objective argument to illustrate the scientifically inexplicable longevity, found in populations living in the Caucasus areas of Georgia and Azerbaijan; in the Atlai Mountains in Siberia; in the Andean village of Vilcabamba in Ecuador; in the land of Hunza in the Karakoram mountain regions of Pakistan, in the Nepalese mountains, and some other high altitude regions.
Various medical and scientific reports about centenarians living in the 8000 foot height Hunza valley, surrounded by the highest Himalayan peaks, have written in great detail about the extraordinary health of the Hunzakuts. " There is practically no plant or animal disease, and virtually none in humans: absolutely no cancer, no heart or intestinal trouble; and the people regularly live to be centenarians, singing, dancing, and making love to the edge of the grave."
I will demonstrate that in areas and villages located in mountain areas, where the oxygen pressure is much lower than at sea level, the longevity records are the most impressive.
In this dissertation I introduce a new idea which postulates that the low atmospheric oxygen pressure, found in most mountain areas, is the main factor allowing human populations living in those areas, to reach the highest world longevity records officially credited (To view Table 1, click here)
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