As medical science begins to visualize the impact of what is becoming an astonishingly powerful genetics revolution, it is not at all too soon to consider questions of the meaning of death and the quest for immortality or eternal life. Over the last century, the average human lifespan has roughly doubled because of scientific progress. In coming decades, biotechnological "miracles" likely will accelerate the extension of the human lifespan even more. The biomedical revolution is a potent force and should not be underestimated; it probably will transform life in the 21st century in ways that may be as hard to imagine as landing on the moon was to the Wright brothers at the turn of the 20th century. Those who attend this symposium (or access its Web site archive) will be prepared to engage with the issue of biotechnological "immortalization" in a well-informed and nuanced way.