14 DAY TRIAL // Google is known for its "moon shots" as Larry Page likes to call them, but it still manages to surprise from time to time. Google has just announced that it is creating a new biotech company Calico which will focus on the big health problems and actually prolonging human life.
Heading this new company is Apple and Genentech chairman Art Levinson, who holds Ph.D. in Biology himself. While Larry Page, Levinson, and all the rest talked big words about the company, none actually said anything concrete about what the future plans were.
"When I served on Google’s board, Larry Page and I got to know each other well—and when he and Bill Maris approached me about a venture that would take the long term view on aging and illness, I was deeply intrigued," Levinson wrote on his Google+ profile.
"For example, what underlies aging? Might there be a direct link between certain diseases and the aging process? We agreed that with great people, a strong culture and vision and a healthy disregard for the impossible, we could make progress tackling these questions, and improving people’s lives," he argued.
Given that Calico is looking at long-term progress, i.e. research that will yield results in 10 or 20 years, there's not much to say for now. In fact, it may be a while before we hear anything from Calico. But Levinson did explain what the name stood for.
If you were thinking of the cats, you weren't that far off, as the name was indeed partially inspired by the colorful calico cats, particularly since it's a genetic mutation that gives them their patchwork colors. But the name actually stands for California Life Company: CaLiCo.
"Calico is an abbreviation for the 'California Life Company,' but if you’re thinking about cats, we like the old saying that they have nine lives...," Levinson explained.