Shareholders' Equity (Details Narrative)									1 Months Ended			12 Months Ended
	Oct. 17, 2017 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Oct. 04, 2017 shares	Aug. 17, 2017 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Jul. 10, 2017 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Jul. 10, 2017 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Feb. 15, 2017 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Jul. 05, 2016 USD ($) shares	Jun. 16, 2016 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($) shares	Oct. 31, 2015 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Sep. 30, 2015 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($) shares	Jun. 06, 2017	Apr. 06, 2017 USD ($) $ / shares	Feb. 17, 2017	May 13, 2016 shares
Preferred shares, shares authorized												2,000,000	2,000,000
Preferred shares, shares issued
Preferred shares, shares outstanding
Common stock, shares authorized												150,000,000	150,000,000
Common stock, no par value | $ / shares
Common stock, issued												126,866,000	103,396,000
Common stock, outstanding												126,866,000	102,776,000
Treasury stock, shares													620,000
Number of common stock issued value | $												$ 45,068,000	$ 18,606,000	$ 33,897,000
Noncontrolling interest | $												$ 1,622,000	12,580,000
Ownership percentage				99.80%	99.80%							20.00%
Noncash expense | $												$ 3,932,000	7,951,000	11,050,000
Contribution Agreement [Member]
Ownership percentage			85.40%
Proportional transfer of carrying value | $			$ 5,500,000
General and Administrative Expense [Member]
Noncash expense | $												$ 3,000,000	5,343,000	$ 7,783,000
Maximum [Member]
Ownership percentage																	50.00%
Cantor Fitzgerald & Co [Member]
Common stock, no par value | $ / shares
Aggregate offering price | $																$ 25,000,000
Percentage of commission payable												3.00%
Alfred D. Kingsley [Member]
Number of common stock shares sold			300,000
Purchase price, per share | $ / shares			$ 2.81
Acquisition of common shares			300,000
Number of shares acquired from subsidiary in terms of exchange			421,500
OncoCyte [Member]
Noncontrolling interest | $													4,000,000
Asterias Biotherapeutics [Member]
Noncontrolling interest | $													$ 18,300,000
Warrants issued to purchase ordinary shares																		2,959,559
Asterias Biotherapeutics [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Ownership percentage													50.00%
Cell Cure Neurosciences, Ltd. [Member]
Charge to equity, value | $												$ 10,100,000
Proportional transfer of carrying value | $												$ 3,500,000
Number of stock options exercised to purchase ordinary shares		4,400
Cell Cure Neurosciences, Ltd. [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Ownership percentage		99.80%
Cell Cure Neurosciences, Ltd. [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Ownership percentage		98.80%
OrthoCyte Corporation [Member]
Number of stock options exercised to purchase ordinary shares												51,000
OrthoCyte Corporation [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Ownership percentage												100.00%
OrthoCyte Corporation [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Ownership percentage												99.80%
Common Stock [Member]
Number of common stock shares sold	11,057,693				4,924,542	7,453,704	1,098,326	7,322,176		1,600,000	2,607,401	18,511,000	8,420,000	10,738,000
Purchase price, per share | $ / shares	$ 2.60					$ 2.70		$ 2.39		$ 3.19	$ 3.29
Number of common stock issued value | $	$ 26,700,000				$ 15,200,000	$ 18,500,000	$ 2,200,000	$ 16,400,000		$ 5,100,000	$ 8,600,000	$ 45,068,000	$ 18,606,000	$ 33,897,000
Number of stock options exercised to purchase ordinary shares												9,000		155,000
Common Stock [Member] | Certain Investment [Member]
Number of common stock shares sold										6,530,612
Purchase price, per share | $ / shares										$ 3.13
Number of common stock issued value | $										$ 20,400,000
Common Stock [Member] | OncoCyte [Member]
Number of common stock shares sold									4,700,000	246,356
Shares conversion ratio									20
Equity method investment description									As a result of this distribution, BioTime recorded a reduction in the carrying value of its investment in OncoCyte with a corresponding increase to noncontrolling interests in OncoCyte in the amount of $712,000, representing the reduction in BioTime’s ownership in OncoCyte by 18.7% from 76.5% to 57.8%.
Reduction in equity method investment | $									$ 712,000
Taxable gain | $									$ 7,400,000
OncoCyte [Member]
Treasury stock, shares													619,706
Hadasit Bio-Holdings, Ltd [Member]
Ownership percentage, noncontrolling owners				21.20%	21.20%
Warrants issued to purchase ordinary shares				24,566	24,566
Warrants exercise price per share | $ / shares				$ 40.5359	$ 40.5359
Warrants exercisable term					5 years
Hadasit Bio-Holdings, Ltd [Member] | Other Long-term Liabilities [Member]
Noncash expense | $												$ 535,000
Hadasit Bio-Holdings, Ltd [Member] | Common Stock [Member] | Cell Cure Neurosciences, Ltd. [Member]
Number of common stock shares sold				1,220,207
Number of common stock issued value | $				$ 3,800,000
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd [Member]
Ownership percentage, noncontrolling owners				16.10%	16.10%
HBL And Teva [Member]
Number of common stock shares sold					2,147,880
Number of common stock issued value | $					$ 6,600,000
Cell Cure Neurosciences, Ltd. [Member]
Ownership percentage				62.50%	62.50%
Cell Cure Neurosciences, Ltd. [Member] | General and Administrative Expense [Member]
Noncash expense | $												555,000
AgeX [Member]
Number of common stock shares sold			4,950,000
Number of common stock issued value | $			$ 10,000,000
Number of shares acquired from subsidiary in terms of exchange			28,800,000
Ownership percentage			85.40%
Cash contributed to acquire subsidiary | $												100,000
AgeX [Member] | License Agreement [Member]
Proportional transfer of carrying value | $												$ 8,200,000
ReCyte Therapeutics, Inc. [Member]
Ownership percentage												95.00%
LifeMap Sciences, Inc. [Member]
Ownership percentage												82.00%			100.00%
LifeMap Sciences, Inc. [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Ownership percentage															82.00%
LifeMap Sciences, Inc. [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Ownership percentage															78.00%
Ascendance Biotechnology, Inc [Member]
Ownership percentage												44.00%