Science: Health: Immortality
Longevity race   (+2, -3)  [vote for, against]
She who laughs last

Teams of scientists, amateurs and crackpots compete to see who can induce the longest life of minimally acceptable quality in a human being.

Each team starts with an infant (possibly earlier?) and possibly an entrance fee. Each time a threshold age of longevity (20,30...80) is achieved, the greater the incremental financial award received, with the grand prize for the longest-lived infant.

Added incentive to achieve longevity techniques? Contestants themselves probably hope to live long enough to enjoy increasingly rewarding longevity.
-- 4and20, Sep 20 2012

Methuselah's Children - R.A.Heinlein http://en.wikipedia...uselah%27s_Children
The Howard Foundation rewards long-lived genetic family lines. [FlyingToaster, Sep 20 2012]

Since, pretty much by definition, the winning infant would outlive the team responsible for it's life, what's the incentive?

Also, you know, this would be illegal, immoral, unethical, and just plain bad.
-- MechE, Sep 20 2012


Isn't there some old saw that goes something like "the best revenge is living well" ?
-- normzone, Sep 20 2012


What MechE said [+]
-- Voice, Sep 20 2012


This is going to end with one of these children tracking down [420]. "Hello [420], are you surprised to see me?"
-- leinypoo13, Sep 20 2012


Our definitions of 'increasingly rewarding' must vary.
-- Phrontistery, Sep 20 2012


Who determines //life of minimally acceptable quality in a human being//?
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Sep 21 2012


This comes down to parenting with reference to the usual theorists, but this time theorists with a vested interest involved. A time will come when the children will choose whether to stay involved (choose life?) and laws are quite specific about what sticks but not what carrots can be used.
-- 4and20, Sep 21 2012



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