Kazakhstan President for Life Asks for More Life

Is Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev not satisfied with just being president for life?

Mr. Nazarbayev instructed scientists Tuesday at a newly opened research facility in his country to develop ways to reverse the aging process, reports the Associated Press.

The timing of the request is a little conspicuous, as just earlier this year Mr. Nazarbayev sought and received changes to his country's laws that give him the right to determine policies after he retires, the AP reports.

Despite his age, officials have signaled that Nazarbayev, 70, may seek to stay in office for at least another decade, the AP reports. He has ruled the ex-Soviet nation since the late 1980s.

Speaking to students Tuesday at the recently inaugurated Nazarbayev University, the Kazakh president said the Center for Life Sciences' priorities should include finding ways to artificially produce human tissue and rejuvenate the body.

For better or worse, Kazakh scientists may have already been beaten to the punch. Last Monday, a team of Harvard scientists announced they had found in an aging study on mice that some effects of aging, such as hair loss, infertility and decreased brain function, can be stopped and, in some cases, reversed.