Body Fusion 150

New research into aging has doubled the healthy life span of laboratory mice. This could mean that some baby boomers will be the first people to live 150 or more years. "It has become reasonable to believe that a practical remedy for aging is not far off," researchers Marvin Cetron and Owen Davies told the World Future Society, Bethesda, Md.

One source of optimism is melatonin, a hormone that seems to be related to aging. In experiments with mice, researchers manipulating the gland that produces melatonin significantly have extended the animals' life spans. Other research has focused on how to stop aging at the chromosome level. Scientists are learning how to resupply older cells with a natural enzyme called telomerase, which appears to extend the lives of cells.

Both avenues of research are teaching scientists where to look for an aging cure. "Once science can chart its way to new knowledge, the discovery is sure to follow," Cetron and Davies predict.

To live an extended healthy life appears to be a dream come true, but "agelessness" will raise many questions for society in the future, they warn, such as how to provide a decent living for all who need it or control population in a world where death soon may be optional.

On a personal level, living longer will revolutionize thinking about retirement, saving, work, and lifestyle. Traditional retirement before the age of 65 could prove impossible for all but the super-rich. People who once could have retired may need to earn a living for decades longer--starting small businesses and new careers instead of puttering around the house.

Others could be forced into early semi-retirement by high taxes or government mandates aimed at employing younger generations. Cash-strapped seniors may discover that shared housing is the only type they can afford and either move in with their offspring or establish group homes.