Whether or not human lifespan is limited has been a subject of debate for millennia .
Estimates indicate that the maximum human lifespan has increased throughout recorded history. For example, the Jews of the late Bronze Age considered 80 years to be the maximum human lifespan. After 1,000 years, the Romans considered this number to be 100 years.
The maximum human lifespan has increased throughout recorded history. (Photo: IE).
Until now, Jeanne Calment, from France, died in 1997 at the age of 122, currently holds the world record for the oldest person. Despite advances in medical science, no one has been able to break this record to date.
Humans have yet to reach their maximum lifespan, and the existing record could be broken in the coming decades, by 2060, according to a new study.
The study found: “if there is a maximum limit to human lifespan, we have not yet reached it.”
Japanese women can surpass this record
Scientists from the University of South Florida and the US University of Georgia led the new study.
They used a mathematical model to predict mortality trends in the coming years. A dataset of historical and current mortality rates of 50 to 100 year olds from 19 countries was analyzed for this purpose. The above calculation is used to predict how long people will live in the future.
“We found that groups born between 1900 and 1950 are experiencing an unprecedented delay in mortality, but they are still too young to break life expectancy records. As these groups reach an advanced age in the coming decades, the life expectancy profile could increase dramatically,” the study authors wrote.
According to statistical analysis, Japanese women could live to 122 years old in the coming decades.
People born in the 30s or 40s of the 20th century are also expected to break records for life expectancy in the coming decades if they are in good health and receive medical care.
However, there is a lot of debate going on around this topic and not all researchers are convinced by the results based on the above study.