Life expectancy has increased from just 46.3 years in 1900 to 76.4 years in 2023. That’s a 65% increase over only around 100 years. That’s due in large part to advances in treating illnesses, but it also Prompts the question: how long could humans potentially live?
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00:00Life expectancy has increased from just 46.3 years in 1900 to 76.4 years in 2023.
00:11That's a 65% increase over only around 100 years.
00:15That's due in large part to advances in treating illnesses, but it also prompts the question,
00:19how long could humans potentially live?
00:21The oldest person to ever walk the earth died at the age of 122, but many are looking far
00:26beyond even that.
00:27Unfortunately, aging is part of our DNA, and it has limits with regards to its ability
00:32to heal itself, meaning even in the absence of disease, eventually your body's cells
00:36will enter a state of cellular senescence, or when they can no longer reproduce but they
00:40also don't die.
00:41According to a study by researchers at the UCL Institute of Prion Diseases, these can
00:45then float around inside you and actually become destructive as we age, usually by around
00:50age 60.
00:51At that point, our immune system can no longer adequately get rid of them, and this is all
00:55due to damage and wear and tear on our DNA over time.
00:58But now researchers are looking to stop that as well.
01:01So if hypothetically we can treat every illness, how long do experts believe we could live?
01:05Well the higher estimates put human potential lifespan at around 150 years, though some
01:10say if we can prevent DNA damage, mitigate cell damaging free radicals, and prevent cell
01:14oxidation, we could unlock eternal life.