OUR leaders along with their deadpan scientific ‘pardners’ in doom and gloom bombard us daily with negative streams of data that we’re all ‘gonna die’ should we not repent from our voracious lifestyles.

Well shush now, but between you and me, death seems as inevitable and natural as any other part of the cycle of life.

In fact apoptosis, the programmed death of certain cells, enables life to take shape.

Life and death have polarised opinions from philosophers and scientists such as Carl Gustav Jung, Charles Darwin and Richard Feynman.

Scientific understanding of apoptosis and senescence or biological ageing will surely lead to treatments for such disorders in the equilibrium and efficiency of cells.

New benchmarks in medical miracles are overdue but government and the medical profession need to appreciate the value of positive propaganda over the cudgel of pessimism. Politicians and the NHS should lift our spirits with improved individual patient care and fast-tracking scientific intervention.

Tom Scaife, Manor Drive, York.