With falling birthrates and rising life expectancies, the U.S. population is rapidly aging. Research aimed at unlocking the secrets of aging is underway at universities and corporate labs, and some biomedical researchers think future medical treatments might be able to slow, stop or reverse the aging process and allow people to live decades longer than is possible today – to 120 years and beyond. A Pew Research Center survey report examines Americans’ views on aging, medical advances and “radical life extension.” Two accompanying reports present an overview of the scientific research and the emerging ethical debate and describe how some clergy, bioethicists, theologians and other scholars think their religious traditions might approach the issue.
In this interactive, you can see how your ideal life span compares with those we surveyed.
