h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

As straightforward as any QI I've yet written:

Is it possible to become immortal?

There are klaxons, naturally, so be bold, preferably interesting but never obvious.

Google and Wikipedia are forbidden but feel free to access The Guide.

Good Luck.

Let me see if I can beat Taff to it...

Get your mum to dip you in the river Styx. Make sure she holds you by the ankles - and this is the important bit - then turns you round and dips your ankles in the river as well. Don't want to end up like poor old Achilles!

RF

Mmmh, let's see...

a) Yes.
b) No.


You mean, you want some more detail?

*hides from the two obviously obvious klaxons*

There was something a few days ago on the news about a jellyfish that apparently can regenerate, if my memory is working right... I couldn't give more detail, though.

Taff will be SO disappointed.

- Take a dip in The Styx

Yes

No




The correct answer lies someway between these two.

Ah,

c) Possibly?

Possibly you are thinking of this chap?

A49887995

but no not that.

C) Possibly.

Closer. I was thinking more of a temporal phrase.

A49887995 :
Yes, looks like it. I'm pretty sure I saw it on the TV, though.


... It's not anything to do with Christophe Lambert and the Highlander movies, is it?

To quote Manuel from Fawlty Towers:

Heventually.

- chop off the head of another immortal and consume the "quickening" (Possibly while listening to Queen")


No.

>>Heventually<<

Oddly, no. This is not universal but extremely specific.

And as s with most things of value, worth having: location, location, location is vital.

Location? Near a black hole?

Ah! Yes I suppose that could work. I'm thinking more on Earth.

get dipped in liquid nitrogen

you dont get technically dead till you get de-frosted

Where can you find black holes on Earth? Jump into the Large Hadron Collider!

RF

That'd be a bit like cryogenics, wouldn't it?

Cryogenics. Taff -5

>>Jump into the Large Hadron Collider!<<

No, but funny you should mention that, as there's a somewhat famous thought experiment that runs along very similar lines.

If I was immoral and dyslexic, would that count?