To live in the age of prolonging youth

At the cusp of colonising space, humankind is also beginning to stretch a frontier of time - that is, of human lifespan. Biology is throwing up interesting insights on how to arrest, if not reverse, ageing. For now, consumers for these advances, as in space travel, are the uber rich. But that's a stage in the evolution of most mass-market technologies. Early adopters, from air travellers to those undergoing cosmetic surgery, are willing to fund development for the less well-off. Those who can afford them have a menu of promising choices among blood transfusion, cell regeneration and chemical low-calorie diets. For the rest, traditional wisdom on eating light, exercise and sleep remains their best bet for a long life.

Science is mimicking the natural phenomenon of ageing by speeding up some and slowing down other processes in our bodies. Identified old-age cells can either be destroyed or replaced by younger cells. There are, however, ethical controversies over cell replacement. Pseudo-science transfuses blood or plasma from a younger person to an older one. It works in mice. We don't know whether it works on humans. Or why. Dietary research is trying to come up with chemicals that replicate longevity-enhancing low-calorie food. Yet, naturally occurring food doesn't yield to easy synthesis. Most of the available anti-ageing treatments are being beta-tested and can't be dismissed as snake oil.

Commerce is driving both our effort to reach the stars and to conquer mortality. Resources are drawing prospectors to other planets. Advances in anti-ageing offer a way out for a world that has, by some indications, already begun depopulating. Extending longevity is, in fact, extending youth. This makes for a more productive species after it reaches peak population. Billionaires shopping for anti-ageing genes are essentially extending their shelf-life, which when applied to the population at large could have a profound socioeconomic impact. What we know already is the wealth of nations resides in the health of their citizens.