Editing Life extension (section)

==History==
{{Further|Timeline of senescence research}}
The extension of life has been a desire of humanity and a mainstay motif in the history of scientific pursuits and ideas throughout history, from the Sumerian [[Epic of Gilgamesh]] and the Egyptian [[Edwin Smith Papyrus|Smith medical papyrus]], all the way through the [[Taoists]], [[Ayurveda]] practitioners, [[alchemists]], [[hygienist]]s such as [[Luigi Cornaro]], Johann Cohausen and [[Christoph Wilhelm Hufeland]], and philosophers such as [[Francis Bacon]], [[René Descartes]], [[Benjamin Franklin]] and Nicolas [[Condorcet]]. However, the beginning of the modern period in this endeavor can be traced to the end of the 19th – beginning of the 20th century, to the so-called "[[fin-de-siècle]]" (end of the century) period, denoted as an "end of an epoch" and characterized by the rise of scientific optimism and therapeutic activism, entailing the pursuit of life extension (or life-extensionism). Among the foremost researchers of life extension at this period were the Nobel Prize winning biologist [[Elie Metchnikoff]] (1845-1916) -- the author of the cell theory of immunity and vice director of Institut Pasteur in Paris, and [[Charles-Édouard Brown-Séquard]] (1817-1894) -- the president of the French Biological Society and one of the founders of modern endocrinology.<ref>{{cite book| vauthors = Stambler I |title=A History of Life-Extensionism in the Twentieth Century|date=2014|publisher=Longevity History|isbn=978-1500818579|url=http://www.longevityhistory.com/}}</ref>

Sociologist [[James Hughes (sociologist)|James Hughes]] claims that science has been tied to a cultural narrative of conquering death since the [[Age of Enlightenment]]. He cites [[Francis Bacon]] (1561–1626) as an advocate of using science and reason to extend human life, noting Bacon's novel ''[[New Atlantis]]'', wherein scientists worked toward delaying aging and prolonging life. [[Robert Boyle]] (1627–1691), founding member of the [[Royal Society]], also hoped that science would make substantial progress with life extension, according to Hughes, and proposed such experiments as "to replace the blood of the old with the blood of the young". Biologist [[Alexis Carrel]] (1873–1944) was inspired by a belief in indefinite human lifespan that he developed after experimenting with [[Cell (biology)|cells]], says Hughes.<ref>{{cite book| vauthors = Hughes J |author-link=James Hughes (sociologist)|title=Leadership in Science and Technology: A Reference Handbook|date=October 20, 2011|publisher=[[SAGE Publications]]|isbn=978-1452266527|page=587|chapter=Transhumanism| veditors = Bainbridge W |editor1-link=William Sims Bainbridge}}</ref>

===Contemporary===

Regulatory and legal struggles between the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the [[Biomedical Research & Longevity Society|Life Extension organization]] included seizure of merchandise and court action.<ref>{{cite web | vauthors = Zaleski A | url = https://www.popsci.com/forever-man-immortality-science/ | title = Is there any truth to anti-aging schemes? | work = Popular Science | date = 12 June 2018 }}</ref> In 1991, [[Saul Kent]] and [[Bill Faloon]], the principals of the organization, were jailed for four hours and were released on $850,000 bond each.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Matt |last=Schudel |url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1992-12-06-9203040859-story.html/ |title=Is it a crime to live forever? |work=SunSentinel |date=December 6, 1992}}</ref> After 11 years of legal battles, Kent and Faloon convinced the US Attorney's Office to dismiss all criminal indictments brought against them by the FDA.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://lifeboat.com/ex/bios.william.faloon | title = William Faloon | work = lifeboatfoundation }}</ref>

In 2003, [[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]] published "The Immortal Cell: One Scientist's Quest to Solve the Mystery of Human Aging," by [[Michael D. West]]. West emphasised the potential role of embryonic stem cells in life extension.<ref>{{cite book| vauthors = West MD |title=The Immortal Cell: One Scientist's Quest to Solve the Mystery of Human Aging|url=https://archive.org/details/imortalcell0000unse|url-access=registration |year=2003|publisher=Doubleday|isbn=978-0-385-50928-2}}</ref>

Other modern life extensionists include writer [[Gennady Stolyarov II|Gennady Stolyarov]], who insists that death is "the enemy of us all, to be fought with medicine, science, and technology";<ref>{{cite book| vauthors = Stolyarov G |title = Death is Wrong|date = November 25, 2013|publisher = Rational Argumentator Press|isbn = 978-0615932040|url = http://rationalargumentator.com/Death_is_Wrong_Second_Edition_Full.pdf}}</ref> [[Transhumanism|transhumanist]] philosopher [[Zoltan Istvan]], who proposes that the "transhumanist must safeguard one's own existence above all else";<ref>{{cite news | vauthors = Istvan Z |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/zoltan-istvan/the-three-laws-of-transhu_b_5853596.html |title=The Morality of Artificial Intelligence and the Three Laws of Transhumanism |work=Huffington Post |date=October 2, 2014}}</ref> futurist [[George Dvorsky]], who considers aging to be a problem that desperately needs to be solved;<ref>{{cite web|title=Futurist: 'I will reap benefits of life extension'|url=http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/fault-lines/articles/2015/5/7/futurist-itll-start-to-become-ridiculous-not-to-talk-about-curing-aging.html|website=Al Jazeera America|date=May 7, 2015|quote=To Dvorsky, aging is a problem that’s desperately in need of solving.}}</ref> and recording artist [[Steve Aoki]], who has been called "one of the most prolific campaigners for life extension".<ref>{{cite web| vauthors = Tez RM |title=Steve Aoki, Dan Bilzerian, a giraffe and the search for eternal life|url=https://i-d.co/article/steve-aoki-dan-bilzerian-a-giraffe-and-the-search-for-eternal-life/|website=i-D|publisher=VICE|date=May 11, 2015|quote=Unknown to most, Steve is both an undeniable champion of life expansion as well as one of the most prolific campaigners for life extension. Understanding that the depth of his life's experience is limited by time alone, in his latest album Neon Future he pens lyrics such as 'Life has limitless variety... But today, because of ageing, it does not have limitless scope.' [...] Set up by the Steve Aoki Charitable Fund, the profits from the Dan Bilzerian party went to life extension research.}}</ref>

====Scientific research====
{{see also|Timeline of senescence research}}
In 1991, the [[American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine]] (A4M) was formed. The [[American Board of Medical Specialties]] recognizes neither anti-aging medicine nor the A4M's professional standing.<ref>{{Cite news | vauthors = Kuczynski A |date=12 April 1998 |title=Anti-Aging Potion Or Poison? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/12/style/anti-aging-potion-or-poison.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=17 July 2009}}</ref>

In 2003, [[Aubrey de Grey]] and [[David Gobel]] formed the [[Methuselah Foundation]], which gives financial grants to anti-aging research projects. In 2009, de Grey and several others founded the [[SENS Research Foundation]], a California-based scientific research organization which conducts research into aging and funds other anti-aging research projects at various universities.<ref>{{cite web | vauthors = Jones T, Rae M, de Grey A | url = http://sens.org/files/pdf/2011_Research_Report.pdf | title = Research Report 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120814133213/http://www.sens.org/files/pdf/2011_Research_Report.pdf | archive-date = 14 August 2012 | work = Sens Foundation }}</ref> In 2013, [[Google]] announced [[Calico (company)|Calico]], a new company based in San Francisco that will harness new technologies to increase scientific understanding of the biology of aging.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/03/tech/innovation/google-calico-aging-death/|title=How Google's Calico aims to fight aging and 'solve death'| vauthors = McNicoll A |date=3 October 2013|work=CNN}}</ref> It is led by [[Arthur D. Levinson]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://googlepress.blogspot.com/2013/09/calico-announcement.html|title=Google announces Calico, a new company focused on health and well-being|date=September 18, 2013}}</ref> and its research team includes scientists such as [[Hal V. Barron]], [[David Botstein]], and [[Cynthia Kenyon]]. In 2014, biologist [[Craig Venter]] founded Human Longevity Inc., a company dedicated to scientific research to end aging through genomics and cell therapy. They received funding with the goal of compiling a comprehensive human genotype, microbiome, and phenotype database.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/human-longevity-inc-hli-launched-to-promote-healthy-aging-using-advances-in-genomics-and-stem-cell-therapies-248379091.html|title=Human Longevity Inc. (HLI) Launched to Promote Healthy Aging Using Advances in... – SAN DIEGO, March 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --|author=Human Longevity Inc.|date=4 March 2014|access-date=12 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021000819/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/human-longevity-inc-hli-launched-to-promote-healthy-aging-using-advances-in-genomics-and-stem-cell-therapies-248379091.html|archive-date=21 October 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Aside from private initiatives, aging research is being conducted in university laboratories, and includes universities such as [[Harvard University|Harvard]] and [[University of California, Los Angeles|UCLA]]. University researchers have made a number of breakthroughs in extending the lives of mice and insects by reversing certain aspects of aging.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/05/health/young-blood-mice-aging/|title=Young blood makes old mice more youthful |last=Landau |first= Elizabeth |date=5 May 2014|work=CNN}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Wood |first=Anthony | date = 7 May 2014 | url = http://www.gizmag.com/gdf11-protein-aging-mice-harvard/31929/ | title = Harvard researchers find protein that could reverse the aging process | work = gizmag.com }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/ucla-biologists-delay-the-aging-process-by-remote-control|title=UCLA biologists delay the aging process by 'remote control'|last=Wolpert |first=Stuart |work=UCLA Newsroom|date=September 8, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-12-20/scientists-develop-anti-ageing-process-in-mice/5168580 |title=Australian and US scientists reverse ageing in mice, humans could be next |work=ABC News|date=2013-12-19}}</ref>