It seems like the word ‘longevity’ is suddenly everywhere in the media, popular culture and policy. The last year has felt like a turning point for the term—though not necessarily for the kind of longevity science that could make the biggest difference to how long and well we live.
This omnipresence stretched from TV and books, to lawmaking and policy, and even to a conversation between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping in September that might have been the most-covered longevity story of the year.
In the media, January 1st 2025 saw the launch of Don’t Die, a documentary following biohacker Bryan Johnson’s attempt to live forever (and featuring The Longevity Initiative’s Andrew Steele among its experts). Its release accelerated Johnson’s rise to social media prominence throughout the year (at the time of writing, he has 2.2 million followers on Instagram, over half of which were gained in 2025), and brought his brand of ‘n = 1’ biohacking to millions more people.
Read the full story: Why 2025 was longevity’s biggest year so far: Netflix, new laws and immortal dictators