The Long Life: Genius or Nightmare

Ezekiel Emanuel, MD, PhD, James Kirkland, Jay Olshansky and Dr. Nir Barzilai explore the aging population and their medical issues.

As more and more people live longer and longer, the chronic diseases of aging - cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's, heart disease, etc - are becoming more common.

The greatest risk factor for these conditions is aging itself. The medical and scientific community along with our society more generally is at a crossroads. Will we continue to research and treat individual diseases or is it possible to treat aging itself? Can science and medicine make people healthier for longer or are we approaching the limits of healthy human lifespan?