A human being could theoretically live to the age of 156 under a very particular scenario, Russian researchers explain. However, this figure does not mean that such an age will soon become attainable.
The idea of living to 156 may seem spectacular. Yet, according to a study published in the journal npj Aging, it is theoretically possible. But the researchers urge caution. Their aim was not to predict the longevity of current generations or to develop a treatment for aging, but rather to gain a better understanding of which mechanisms actually limit the human lifespan.
To conduct their research, scientists from the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology and AIRI, both in Russia, developed a mathematical model of aging. They then removed, one by one, almost all known mechanisms of aging in order to isolate a single factor: somatic mutations. These mutations are random changes in DNA that arise in cells over the course of a person’s life. Unlike hereditary mutations, they are not passed on to offspring. As they accumulate with age, they can disrupt the functioning of cells and contribute to the development of certain diseases.
In this hypothetical scenario, in which all other reversible processes of aging were eliminated, the researchers calculated that somatic mutations alone would limit the median human lifespan to approximately 156 years. This is therefore a theoretical calculation carried out under conditions that do not exist in reality.
