A rather breathtaking headline rung round the world last week:

“Stunning anti-ageing breakthrough could see humans live to 150 and see regenerating organs by 2020 for the price of a coffee a day!”

Wait a minute, whaaaa?

Reading further, it seems that Harvard professor of genetics David Sinclair, along with researchers from the University of New South Wales, have figured out a way, they state, to reprogram cells, even giving those suffering from paralysis hope for recovery when human trials begin in two years. Another shocking claim (and my liver leaped with joy like a Mexican jumping bean over this) is that with their treatment we will be able to regenerate new organs by 2020, and all this might be available in pill form within five years for the price of a coffee a day.

However, if we’re talking Starbucks, we’re talking a second mortgage. 

I only know enough about genetics to have taken a weed whacker to my family tree and shut down all chances of producing any more seedlings. The world has quite enough disfunction, thank you very much, not to mention the weak chin from our patriarchal side.

Therefore, I cannot take an educated guess to whether what professor Sinclair claims is even legitimate.

But living to be 150! Imagine the possibilities: witnessing wondrous technology…cures for diseases…enough time to actually pay off student loans…

Sends rather a shiver down the spine, doesn’t it?

And then there is the other side. If you’re living to 150 my friends, there’s no way you’re going to be able to retire at 65. You won’t even be halfway through.

We’ll be obliged to remain in the workforce. And are we really ready for 100-year-old airline pilots and 120-year-old heart surgeons? Will super models, at 90, be swinging their hips (still youthfully intact) down the runway? Will Walmart greeters be considered mere striplings?

Will we, God forbid, not only be seeing our children move back in during an economic crash, but also our grandchildren and great-grandchildren?

And finally, what about the planet? As George Carlin once noted, humans on earth are like fleas on a dog. We don’t contribute to its health.

How much can our fragile eco-system withstand?

Perhaps, on the other hand, there is the chance we will figure out a way to clean up the plastic garbage trail we’ve dumped into the ocean. Maybe even create a way that every disposable item will be biodegradable!

Reverse global warming and embrace lasting peace!

OK, I admit that last part seems to be little more than a flight of fancy.

But one thing I know is for sure — push the eligible age to 125, and we’ve saved Social Security.