The maximum human lifespan has not budged from around 120 years over recent decades, although average life expectancy has doubled thanks to better nutrition, clean water and medicine.
The record belongs to Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 at the age of 122; since then no one has surpassed that mark. To move beyond it sustainably would require simultaneously altering several interconnected aging processes at the level of cells, tissues and organs.
The biologist Venki Ramakrishnan, a Nobel laureate, emphasizes the distinction between merely extending life and increasing the period of healthy autonomy. Evolution has set different rates of aging for different species: mice live about two years, while Greenland sharks and some turtles live for centuries. These differences depend on how a species allocates resources among growth, reproduction and bodily maintenance.
In large species with a low risk of predation, long-term bodily maintenance yields reproductive advantages. In humans, aging arises not as a programmed mechanism but as a side effect of trade-offs: genes that are beneficial in youth later cause harm.
Modern biology describes aging as the accumulation of damage: DNA mutations, mitochondrial failures, chronic inflammation, stem cell depletion and protein degradation. These processes are closely intertwined, so a failure in one link quickly affects the others.
Caloric restriction without malnutrition extends life in worms, flies, rodents and primates by enhancing autophagy — the process by which cells clear out damaged components. In humans, however, such a regimen causes constant hunger, sensitivity to cold and problems with wound healing, and maintaining it for decades is nearly impossible.
Drugs like rapamycin mimic some of the effects, but at the same time suppress immunity. Senolytics, which remove senescent cells, improve the condition of mice, but in humans it is still unclear which cells can be safely eliminated and which are still needed by the body.
The most ambitious approach is partial cellular reprogramming using Yamanaka factors. In animal experiments it rejuvenates tissues, but full activation risks tumor formation, while short-term activation requires proof of safety in clinical trials.
While these methods remain experimental, the most reliable ones remain a balanced diet, regular physical activity, adequate sleep and social connections. Even if science manages to slow the biological clock, accidents, diseases and external risks will continue to limit actual lifespan.
