A recent article from the St. Petersburg times highlights the fact that one of the U.S. most aged populations wants the state to pay for aging research.

96 percent of Floridians contacted in a recent survey believe the state should lead in such life-improving research.

Another 77 percent support the state giving financial aid to recruit research labs and 59 percent would pay a dollar a week more in taxes toward such a goal.

Floridians support medical research spending (St. Petersburg Times)
The results of a poll are presented at a Tampa NIH meeting. TAMPA - Surprise, surprise. Floridians, we of the knee replacements, Bo ...

New data from Scotland provides more evidence of the increases in longevity we've been seeing elsewhere.  Scotlands data seems to indicate some correlation between income and longevity.  As you may recall, a recent study in the U.S. seemed to suggest surprisingly that longevity and income were not very well correlated.  Perhaps there is some relationship to income for more dramatic divergences in economic status?

People are living longer than ever (The Herald)
People are living longer than ever, according to statistics released yesterday, though the poorer parts of Scotland continue to lag far behind the rest of the UK.

It looks like Senator Orrin Hatch shares our view that stem cell research will benefit from the next congress activities.  Here's a link to an UPI story regarding stem cell legislation and his feeling regarding the potential of overturning a veto.

Hatch optimistic about stem cell research (UPI)
WASHINGTON, Nov. 25 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, says he believes the next Congress will pass legislation expanding stem cell research, over a presidential veto if necessary.

With the Democrats taking office, it certainly seems as if there is a push for more stem cell research.  Below are a few of the recent headlines showing a move toward a more pro research stance.

Finance Committee approves $181M loan to California's Stem Cell Research Institute (News-Medical-Net)
The California Stem Cell Research and Cures Finance Committee on Monday unanimously approved a $181 million loan to the state's stem cell research institute, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, in an effort to start the program, which has been stalled by lawsuits, the Los Angeles Times reports (La Ganga, Los Angeles Times, 11/21).

Legal Dispute Over Anti-Aging Medicine Ends (RedNova)
By Judith Graham, Chicago Tribune Nov. 17--An unusual legal fight between an organization promoting anti-aging medicine and a University of Illinois at Chicago professor has ended in a settlement, with neither side paying damages or the other's costs.

We're seeing an increase of anti aging supplements and treatments.  Some are valid, others are quackery.  As the old adage goes, buyer beware, just because you recognize the pretty face doesn't necessarily imply that the potion is pure.

AMA urges tighter regulation of anti-aging hormone compounds (CNN.com)
CHICAGO, Illinois ( AP) -- The American Medical Association has stepped into the controversy over alternative hormone treatments for aging that actress-fitness guru Suzanne Somers advocates in a new book.

Science of stem cells and aging highlighted at Wonderfest fair (Stanford Report)
Stem cells cannot save us from death, but they might help us live longer and healthier lives—provided the government doesn't interfere, researchers said Nov. 4 at the Wonderfest science fair at Stanford.

Bio-Matrix Announces Construction and Installation of the Class ...

Stem Cells are showing up in the news more and more.

This week researches have grown the worlds first artificial liver .  Question:  Is it really artificial if it's composed of human cells?

Also, Michael J. Fox and the Catholic Church go head to head in the stem cell battle!

STEM CELL SCIENTISTS GROW LIVER (Daily Record)
THE world's first artificial human liver has been grown by UK scientists. Experts used stem cells from umbilical cords to produce a tiny version of the body's largest internal organ.

Do organisms act like heat engines and wear out after a certain amount of use?  The evidence seems to vacillate back and forth!

Cool Mice Live Longer (LiveScience.com via Yahoo! News)
Mice genetically altered to literally live a cooler life also lived longer, scientists now report.

Caloric restriction is getting more press as a potential means of extending human life.  The expert quoted in the story below discusses potential for an average life expectancy of 112 years with outliers around 140 years due to the oldest known effective preventitive treatment for aging diseases.  Hopefully we'll see a serious effort and funding go into this area of research.  Several scientists are calling for a $3 billion dollar campaign to extend life expectancies seven years.  Sounds cheap to me!

Recipe for aging: Less calories for more life (Detroit News)
How depressing, how unjust, to be the one in your social circle who is aging least gracefully. & ...

Aging Research is getting much more notoriety in the press.  Here are a few headlines culled from the news this week regarding the launch of a new aging research program, red wine extract and aging in mice, as well as a discussion of inflammation's role in the aging process.

Research for a better old age: Launch of the 'New Dynamics of Aging' (EurekAlert!)
The New Dynamics of Ageing Programme (NDA), the most ambitious research programme on ageing ever mounted in the UK, will be launched today in partnership with the UK Funders Forum for Research on Ageing and Older People, at a conference entitled The Future of Ageing Research.

As the country continues to age, the truth may not be pretty for those whose health may wane.

Health: Report: Caregiving crisis looming in U.S. (Texarkana Gazette)
With people living longer, the unavoidable question is who will provide the additional care required in the future. The answer will be no one, if major changes to the caregiving system are not made, according to a comprehensive report about future care

Abigail Trafford has some fairly unique refreshing opinions on how we should / could structure the workforce in light of the life expectancy increases.  This is the first revolutionary look I've seen regarding changing workforce roles due to human longevity improvements.

(Original Article)  Backpedaling on the Life Cycle (Washington Post)
PALO ALTO, CALIF. -- What if we turned the life cycle upside down? I am sitting in the office of Laura L. Carstensen, director of the Stanford Center on Longevity, and we're exploring ideas for a new chronological agenda that would be m ...

The BBC has just done a story on Ray Kurzweil's Life Extension Efforts.
Ray Kurzweil and Aubrey de Grey are arguably  the two most notable individuals helping with the life extension movement.

Anytime the popular media starts to pick up these stories, we are helping to move society in the right direction cognitively.

Thanks Ray, and keep up the good work!

(Original Story)  Introducing humans version 2.0 (BBC News)
The half-human, half-robot cyborg has long been a vision nurtured by science fiction writers and futurologists. But how close are we to humans 2.0, computer-enhanced people?