""The study of ageing has shifted from a niche pursuit to a major area of research. Over the past two decades, scientists have flooded the field, determined to unlock the secret to a longer, healthier life. "Various people have started to think we could intervene in the ageing process and extend lifespan. [The field] has really exploded because of that view," says Alan Cohen, a biologist at Columbia University in New York City.""
""There is no widespread agreement on what ageing is or when it begins, or what the goal should be in investigating it. "There are people like me who think we can't intervene - and even if we could, we shouldn't - to people at the far end of the extreme who say we should make humans immortal and every moment we delay is equivalent to murder," Cohen says.""
""A key contention is whether ageing should be considered a disease. As Richard Faragher, a biogerontologist at the University of Brighton, UK, puts it, if a disease is defined as something abnormal, then ageing does not count. But if a disease is defined as something that is preventable, treatable and able to be slowed down, then ageing is a disease.""
Interest in the biological study of ageing has grown sharply over the past two decades, attracting many scientists focused on extending healthy lifespan. Fundamental concepts in biological ageing lack consensus, including what ageing is, when it begins, and what aims research should pursue. Opinions range from rejecting intervention to advocating extreme life-extension, creating a broad spectrum of scientific views. Debate centers on whether ageing qualifies as a disease, hinging on definitions of abnormality versus preventability and treatability. The question carries practical consequences for research priorities, healthcare policy and societal treatment of older populations amid global demographic ageing.
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