Life extension, increased longevity, a longer healthspan, the end of aging… they mostly mean the same thing: if everything works out, humans will live far longer lives. Of course this raises many questions, from technical (is it really possible? How about …?) to ethical (should we want this? What about …?). This page addresses those questions, mostly by referring you to sites where your questions have already been answered far better than we could.

However, before reading any of the answers, do realize that your current thoughts about ageing and death have been shaped by the culture in which you grew up, which has a ten thousand year history of considering death as inevitable and ‘normal’.

Please consider reading/viewing some of the following stories that show you how differently you can think about ageing and death:

• The Fable of the Dragon-Tyrant [pdf] [animated version]
• Aging is No Laughing Matter
• Sugarcoating aging won’t fight ageism
• Two explanatory videos by Kurzgesagt: “End Aging?” and “Cure Aging?”