andrew

Informal definitions that aren’t very useful when discussing effects and implications of the technical details.

If the meme is correct that people are rebuilt at the molecular level, then cell damage would be preserved across iterations.

That said, if you have sufficient resolution and detail to rebuild someone at the molecular level, I see no theoretical limitation that would prevent actively using modified transporters to heal damage, etc.

That said, I subscribe to the philosophy that your subjective experience / perspective / consciousness ends the moment you’re first disassembled by a transporter and never resumes (i.e. transporters are actually duplicators). So it’s not the fountain of youth in any meaningful sense if transporting is modified to repair damage.

That said, I see no reason why a heavily modified transporter couldn’t be used to Ship of Theseus your whole self cell by cell, thereby completely rejuvenating yourcellf without the pesky cessation of consciousness / death. So, yes, it could be the fountain of youth.

“cell damage” is just part of the details you get when you retain enough pattern detail to include peoples recent memories.

This is (unknowingly) implicit in OP’s description of transporters as rebuilding someone at the molecular (as opposed to cellular) level.

It’s not cloning though. Cloning creates a person with an identical genetic blueprint.

Rebuilding someone at the molecular level will create a person entirely identical, including cellular damage, scars, etc.