The Methuselah Foundation. Science for the End of Aging.

With his scruffy jeans, piercing blue eyes and long red beard, Aubrey de Grey looks every inch the eccentric scientist. But in the past year, this self-taught biogerontologist, based in Cambridge university's genetics department, has attracted serious attention for his theories about ageing.

Increasing the life span of people will be the ultimate benefit to mankind. If people knew that their lifespan was twice as long as generally excepted, they would have more interest in life long learning. This would increase man’s knowledge to the benefit of all. Instead of short term interests we would have long term interests.

If the science of radical life extension is realized, and the technology becomes widely available, it would arguably have a more radical impact than any other development in human history. One need only reflect briefly on the economic, political, and social implications of people living for such long periods to realize the significance of practical immortality.While there are important social, ethical, political, and religious questions to be addressed as this research moves forward, I believe it is appropriate to reverse aging and disease and make healthy life extension an option available to people.