For the first time in history, death may not be a certainty. As I have mentioned before, Aubrey de Grey and others believe that the average human life span in the next 50 years will grow to about 1000 years. They have created the Methuselah Mouse Prize, which will award a research team that breaks the record for the world's oldest mouse. They believe that "once healthy life-extension is demonstrated in mice, the attitude that 'aging is inevitable' will no longer be possible and will give way to an all-out "war on aging" and the funding necessary to develop human interventions will then be made available."
They are no doubt pleased with the results of this study that has extended the lives of mice by 20%.