KZBlog

For the third time this year, President Nazarbayev has called for scientists in Kazakhstan to study how to reverse aging, leading many to speculate that he is musing over his own mortality. Of course, it isn’t completely fair to call Nazarbayev President-for-Life. In fact, he has the right to run for President as many times as he wishes, but there will still be regular elections.

While he cited economic reasons in his speech to students at Nazarbayev University, where he introduced the new Center for Life Sciences, he also joked that, ” people of my age are really hoping all of this will happen as soon as possible.” And earlier this year when a member of Parliament, who is a citizen of Kazakhstan but of Korean heritage, suggested that he should remain in office until at least 2020, the President told him, “Maybe, then, you’ll offer me an elixir of youth and energy – maybe you have such potions in Korea … I’m willing to go on until 2020, just find me an elixir.”

So there is some suggestion that the President is hoping to put off his own end for a little bit, at least.

CBS also notes that a research team at Harvard may have already discovered how to stop or even reverse symptoms of aging like loss of hair, infertility and mental degeneration. So Kazakhstan may already be late to the game.