Publishers of the journal, the Futurist, are ending their annual meeting today in Minnesota. The meeting costs $600 for non-members to attend. About 1,000 people are expected to attend. They will be looking at trends in business, families, technology, transportation, immigration, work, medicine -- just about everything except space colonization. Cause the future of the family is easier to determine than the future of space colonization, I suppose? Perhaps they have had too many black eyes in the past predicting space colonization?

The Methuselah Foundation, like it's Heinlein derived name would suggest, is a group that is pushing to extend the duration of life. In a contest they dub the MPrize (aka Methuselah Mouse Prize), financial rewards are offered to researchers who are able to demonstrate extending the life of a mouse to 'unprecedented length'. The currently have over $4.5 million in prize money available.

Two prizes are currently awarded to successful studies.
• Longevity Prize - A single mouse, treatments can include breeding and genetic engineering. Current Record 1819 days (@ 5 years)
• Rejuvenation prize - 20 control, 20 test animals - top 10% most venerable animals used for the record. Treatments can only begin at mid-life. Current Record 1356 days (@ 3.5 years)
• Reversal Prize - Discontinued