Longevity Escape Velocity (LEV)

Longevity Escape Velocity (LEV) is a hypothetical moment in which life expectancy improves quicker than the rate at which people are aging.

Currently, it takes longer than one year of research and development to increase one year of lifespan. The concept of LEV is that if these two points reach an equilibrium or move in the opposite direction that human life expectancy will increase by more than one year every year. In a sense, people who consistently receive the most cutting-edge rejuvenation therapies will never have to suffer from age-related illnesses.

Although the concept of LEV has been around for decades, the phrases Longevity Escape Velocity and Actuarial Escape Velocity became part of the lexicon in the early 2000s by researchers such as Ray Kurzweil, Aubrey De Grey, and David Gobel. De Grey also refers to the moment as the Methuselarity, a play on the words Singularity and Methuselah.