Rethinking Aging: Ethical, Legal, and Social Dimensions of Extending Lifespan and Healthspan

As scientific advances in genetics, geoscience, regenerative medicine, neurotechnology, AI-driven diagnostics, and personalized therapeutics accelerate, humanity stands at a pivotal moment in how it understands aging. Efforts to extend not only lifespan but also healthspan-the years lived in good physical, cognitive, and emotional functioning-raise profound ethical, legal, and social implications that must be addressed before these technologies reshape societies. Breakthroughs in genetic science, including gene-editing technologies and genomics-based therapies, have further sharpened debates about how and when to intervene in the biology of aging. This research topic aims to critically examine how emerging interventions targeting aging challenge established norms in bioethics, public health, equity, and governance.Key themes include, but are not limited, to the following;· The ethics of enhancement versus therapy in age-related interventions, particularly in genetics· Distributive justice and global inequities in access to longevity and genetic technologies· The legal status and regulation of anti-aging drugs, senolytics, gene-editing platforms, and AI-enabled biomarkers of aging· Questions surrounding autonomy, consent, and decision-making for increasingly extended lives.We also invite analysis of societal impacts on labor markets, intergenerational justice, retirement structures, family dynamics, and the sustainability of health systems,as well as cultural attitudes toward aging, genetics, and the good life.This collection asks: What have we learned about the promises and perils of a longevity-focused future? Contributions should seek to identify guiding principles for responsible innovation, including equitable access, robust clinical oversight, inclusive public engagement, and the need to balance increased lifespan with enhancements in quality of life. By synthesizing multidisciplinary insights, this topic aims to chart an ethical and socially grounded roadmap for navigating a world where aging itself, and its genetic foundations, may become a treatable condition. Topic editors: Dov Greenbaum Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/76910/rethinking-aging-ethical-legal-and-social-dimensions-of-extending-lifespan-and-healthspan