[rjshade]

Higher order life has this "defect" because, from an evolutionary perspective, there is little reason for us to stick around for very long after reproducing. After passing our genes on to our children we have some years where it is helpful for their survival that we are still alive, but pretty soon Darwin has no more use for you.

The various problems that you imagine might result from curing ageing can be solved _after_ we solve the problem of hundreds of thousands of people dying every single day.