Organization, Basis of Presentation, and Summary of Select Significant Accounting Policies (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended				9 Months Ended			0 Months Ended																	0 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2014 Technology [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Equipment [Member] Minimum [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Equipment [Member] Maximum [Member]	Oct. 31, 2014 Subsequent Event [Member]	Oct. 08, 2014 Subsequent Event [Member]	Oct. 03, 2014 Subsequent Event [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Asterias Biotherapeutics [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 ES Cell International Pte., Ltd. [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 OncoCyte Corporation [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 OrthoCyte Corporation [Member]		Sep. 30, 2014 Cell Cure Neurosciences, Ltd. [Member]		Sep. 30, 2014 ReCyte Therapeutics, Inc. [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 BioTime Asia, Limited [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 LifeMap Sciences, Inc. [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 LifeMap Sciences, Ltd. [Member]		Sep. 30, 2014 LifeMap Solutions, Inc. [Member]		Oct. 31, 2014 Subsidiaries [Member] Subsequent Event [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Stock Options [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Stock Options [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Stock Options [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Stock Options [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Warrants [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Warrants [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Warrants [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Warrants [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Treasury Shares [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Treasury Shares [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Treasury Shares [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Treasury Shares [Member]
Income Taxes [Abstract]
Deferred income tax benefit	$ 5,175,000		$ 5,175,000		$ 3,280,000
Deferred income tax benefit, federal	3,580,000		3,580,000		2,800,000
Deferred income tax benefit, state taxes	1,595,000		1,595,000		480,000
Taxable gain on sale of subsidiary shares	10,300,000		10,300,000
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Anti-dilutive shares excluded from computation of diluted loss per share (in shares)																												3,420,068	4,655,884	3,420,068	4,655,884	9,195,002	1,751,615	9,195,002	1,751,615	5,398,542	2,315,286	5,398,542	2,315,286
Noncontrolling Interest [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents	7,416,235	6,717,343	7,416,235	6,717,343	5,495,478	4,349,967							5,025,499
Proceeds from issuance of common stock			0	23,810,421						29,425,962	29,425,962	1,574,352															1,574,352
Number of shares sold (in shares)										9,431,398		504,600															504,600
Stock price (in dollars per share)										$ 3.12		$ 3.12
BioTime Ownership (in hundredths)													70.60%	100.00%	75.30%	100.00%	[1]	62.50%	[2]	94.80%	81.00%	74.52%		[3]		[3]
Trade accounts receivable	662,000		662,000		575,900
Grants receivable	452,600		452,600		539,300
Allowance for doubtful accounts	100,500		100,500		116,800
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Equipment useful life								36 months	120 months
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Intangible asset, useful life			10 years				10 years
Foreign currency translation (loss)/gain	(66,768)	7,016	(216,330)	184,310
Unrealized gain (loss)	$ (1,210)	$ 0	$ (2,740)	$ 0

[1] Includes shares owned by BioTime and Asterias.

[2] Includes shares owned by BioTime, Asterias, and ESI.

[3] LifeMap Sciences, Ltd. and LifeMap Solutions, Inc. are wholly-owned subsidiaries of LifeMap Sciences, Inc.