The claim is that immortality will be demonstrated in a placental mammal by the end of 2015.
Immortality shall be defined as an organism living to at least three times its 1996 known maximum lifespan without signs of senescence (macroscopic or microscopic) AND somatic cells from the organism must be shown in culture to have no Hayflick limit, while not becoming cancerous, and not changing morphologically. The organism must be alive and functioning at its normal metabolic level during the entire period. A "higher" organism shall be considered any placental mammal that has a previously known maximum lifespan of at least one year (large doses of anti-oxidants and some gene manipulations have already shown marked increase in lifespans of extremely short lived organisms). The immortality does NOT have to be inheritable, and can be induced from the egg stage, or in a previously existing adult. The claim shall be judged positive if these conditions have been met by 12/31/2015. The results must be published in a reputable scientific journal, such as Science, or the Journal of Cell Biology.
I will judge based on the wording of the claim unless it is found to be ambiguous. Such ambiguities will be resolved based on my perception of the author's intent.