Google has a history of left-field projects, from self-drive cars to weather balloons. So it will come as little surprise that it is now addressing one of the biggest issues of all – ageing.
It has formed a company named Calico, which will be led by Apple chairman Arthur Levinson.
Google co-founder Larry Page said it would focus on "health and wellbeing, in particular the challenge of ageing and associated diseases".
There were few details about how the firm would tackle the issues, but experts think that it is likely that it will use Google’s vast databases to search for solutions.
"Google is exceptionally well placed to get involved through their understanding of consumer activity in the delta between big data and information," said Ovum analyst Joe Dignan.
Mr Page has high ambitions for the spin-off.
"Illness and ageing affect all our families. With some longer term, moonshot thinking around healthcare and biotechnology, I believe we can improve millions of lives," he said in a blog post.
Increasingly big data is being used to help "solve" health issues.
Information management firm EMC is heavily involved in healthcare, using data analytics to predict, for example, who may be more prone to getting MRSA.
"There is a focus on big data now. It is about changing the current model of healthcare to a wellness model by combining genomic data [information about DNA] with clinical data to give personalised medical care," said Chris Roche, EMC’s chief technology officer for big data.