The current record for human lifespan is held by Jeanne Calment, who lived to be 122 years and 164 days old. While this is an impressive achievement, it is still far from the 300-year mark. In fact, there is currently no scientific evidence to suggest that it is possible for humans to live for such a long time.
Scientists have found a way to lengthen worms' lives so much, if the process works in humans, we might all soon be living for 500 years. They've discovered a "double mutant" technique, when applied to nematode worms, makes them live five times longer than usual.
Studies in the biodemography of human longevity indicate a late-life mortality deceleration law: that death rates level off at advanced ages to a late-life mortality plateau. That is, there is no fixed upper limit to human longevity, or fixed maximal human lifespan.
According to one tradition, Epimenides of Crete (7th, 6th centuries BC) lived nearly 300 years.
They cannot be stopped but it is possible to slow the rate of these processes. This can be done by changing one's lifestyle (diet, exercise, etc). The science of aging is not yet fully understood; therefore, it is difficult to determine an absolute limit of 200 years.
Aubrey de Grey is one of the world's leading – and most talked-about – biomedical gerontologists. Meet the man who believes that the first person to live to 1,000 years of age has already been born. Aubrey de Grey is one of the chief proponents of research utilising genomics to explore longevity.
While, as shown with creatures such as hydra and Planarian worms, it is indeed possible for a creature to be biologically immortal, these are animals which are physiologically very different from humans, and it is not known if something comparable will ever be possible for humans.
In 7 years, humans might be able to live indefinitely, predicts Ray Kurzweil, a futurist with a track record of accurate predictions. He believes that with the technological advances and expansions, we're witnessing today in genetics, robotics, and nanotechnology; we'll soon have nanobots running through our veins.
Mathematically, that means the highest ages in a big enough population would be infinite — implying immortality. But in reality, there's no chance that anybody will beat Methuselah's Biblical old age record of 969. The lack of a mathematical upper bound does not actually allow a potentially infinite life span.
Today, oxygen makes up roughly 21 per cent of our air, but it was virtually non-existent in Earth's early atmosphere. Soon after the advent of photosynthesis 2.4 billion years ago, oxygen levels crept up to 1 or 2 per cent – if you were to breathe this air, you would die almost immediately.
Remarkably, life on Earth only has a billion or so years left. There is some uncertainty in the calculations, but recent results suggest 1.5 billion years until the end. That is a much shorter span of time than the five billion years until the planet is engulfed by the Sun.
Age gap. Some scientists believe that within the next few decades, it could be possible for humans to live 1,000 years or more. Normally, as time passes, our cells undergo changes: Our DNA mutates, cells stop dividing, and harmful junk—by-products of cellular activity—builds up.
Humans in the year 3000 will have a larger skull but, at the same time, a very small brain. "It's possible that we will develop thicker skulls, but if a scientific theory is to be believed, technology can also change the size of our brains," they write.
In theory, yes—but it would take millions of years and involve several evolutionary steps before we could even begin to think about flying. Therefore, it is safe to say that humans will not be able to evolve wings through natural selection anytime soon.
Broadly speaking, evolution simply means the gradual change in the genetics of a population over time. From that standpoint, human beings are constantly evolving and will continue to do so long as we continue to successfully reproduce.
Immortality is not just a feat of film-making, encompassing 10 hours of footage and three different films – it's also a feat of coding.
To date, there's only one species that has been called 'biologically immortal': the jellyfish Turritopsis dohrnii. These small, transparent animals hang out in oceans around the world and can turn back time by reverting to an earlier stage of their life cycle.
That's because humans need cells to do things other than just divide and make new cells. For example, our red blood cells transport oxygen around the body. "We make cells commit to a function, and in doing that, they have to lose the ability to divide," Martínez said.
If things continue in the same trajectory, the year 2050 has been projected to be the benchmark for when we will achieve immortality. Here are a few interventions that may hold the key to securing our indefinite existence on mother earth.
The increased longevity of humans is, in part, attributable to environmental changes; improved food, water, and hygiene; reduced impact of infectious disease; and improved medical care at all ages.
Meet Hinat, a Nabataean woman who lived 2,000 years ago in what is now Saudi Arabia.
Homo habilis, sometimes known as "handyman", was one of the oldest known humans and lived between 2.4 million and 1.4 million years ago in Eastern and Southern Africa.
For men, the group expects they will live to be 83 to 86 instead of the government's projection of 80 years average life expectancy in 2050. S. Jay Olshansky, co-author of the report, said a few extra years life might not sound important, but it will cost us socially and financially.