Humans have long sought the elixir of youth, so it is not surprising that even non-scientists closely follow the latest research into ageing. But is the ageing process, which most people simply consider a fact of life, actually a disease that can be conquered? Or is there some insurmountable limit to the lifespan of human bodies?
Of course almost everyone, as they get older, yearns for at least a moderate extension of their lifespan – provided that they retain their health and faculties. If we could be kept alive only with the help of extreme measures, many of us would opt instead for non-resuscitation and solely palliative treatment. We might also find comfort in having the option of assisted dying as soon as our quality of life and our prognosis dipped below a certain threshold. We would dread the fate of the Struldbrugs depicted in Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels – remaining alive, but in a decrepit state repulsive to those with normal lifespan.