Can Humans Live to Be a Century: A Possible Prospect?
In the realm of scientific research, the quest for understanding and extending human lifespan continues to captivate the minds of scientists and researchers worldwide. Recently, a study published in Nature Aging has shed light on some intriguing findings about human longevity.
The study, while not explicitly naming the researchers involved, posits that it is unlikely for every nation to achieve a birth-year life expectancy of over 100 years this century. This conclusion aligns with recent research published in the same journal, indicating a degree of skepticism about universal extreme longevity across all national populations within this century.
The study also reveals an interesting observation about centenarians, who make up a portion of the study's participants. About 30% of these centenarians died without taking any drugs and without having any disease, suggesting a correlation between longevity and health. Interestingly, diseases appeared between 30 and 50 years after other people in the study contracted diseases.
Among the many theories and hypotheses about human longevity, one voice stands out: that of biologist and entrepreneur Preston Estep. Estep argues that the future of human longevity depends entirely on the future of artificial intelligence (AI). He contends that merging with AI is the most promising path to extreme longevity, as humanity is already merging with AI in the form of digital computers and the collective human essence.
The Longevity Genes Project, led by a geneticist at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, is another significant player in this field. This project is examining the genetics of over 500 healthy people aged 95 to 112, in an effort to unlock the secrets of longevity.
However, the road to extreme longevity is not without its challenges. Major advancements in public health and standard of living have driven past gains in average adult life expectancy, but these gains are now threatened by rising anti-vaccine sentiment, climate change, and other pandemic drivers.
Moreover, Estep asserts that the only possible route to breaking through the upper bound of human longevity is superhuman artificial intelligence. This belief is based on the premise that as AI becomes substantially more intelligent than humans, many breakthroughs become possible, including a substantial increase in the longevity of biological humans.
A 2016 Nature paper estimated the maximal lifespan of humans as a species to be around 115 years. Whether this upper limit can be surpassed remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the quest for extreme human longevity continues to push the boundaries of scientific research and innovation.
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