The twilight years of life can be some of the most difficult—and rewarding—of life or ministry. But what if we were in the twilight years of aging itself?

Google has announced the launch of Calico, "a new company that will focus on health and well-being, in particular the challenge of aging and associated diseases," according to Google CEO Larry Page. Page said in a recent announcement that the company is tackling aging and illness because "these issues affect us all—from the decreased mobility and mental agility that comes with age, to life-threatening diseases that exact a terrible physical and emotional toll on individuals and families. And while this is clearly a longer-term bet, we believe we can make good progress within reasonable timescales with the right goals and the right people."

The question of exactly how Calico (a contraction of "the California Life Company") plans to do this is unclear. But commentators agree that Google's ...