Predicting Time Of Death

Researchers have recently found that death, though inevitable, can also be predictable.

Laurence Mueller and his colleague Michael Rose, both from the University of California, conducted experiments with fruit flies to ascertain whether there was any link between fertility and mortality. They found that the female fruit flies would suffer a drastic drop in fertility rate almost exactly two weeks before their death, regardless of age. They morbidly named this period the ‘death spiral’, and were, to a degree, able to predict the exact day that a fruit fly would die.

Biology and Natural Sciences students can consider the variables that would have been considered in this experiment and explain how the scientists would be able to confirm correlation and causality from the data received.

Philosophy students can consider whether the exact ability to exactly predict death should affect people in any way or change their actions.