'Who wants to live forever?" we bravely tell ourselves. But if we were offered a pill that promised another 10 or 20 years of life, how many of us would really say no? For better or worse, that's not a decision you're likely to face soon. Nobel Prize-winning biologist Venki Ramakrishnan has surveyed the many and varied efforts to extend the human lifespan and - to jump to his conclusion - decided it will be another decade or two before we know whether current anti-ageing research is likely to deliver results.
Over the past 150 years, average life expectancy has already doubled, thanks largely to reduced infant mortality. "But extending maximum lifespan - the longest we can expect to live even in the best of circumstances - is a much tougher problem," argues Ramakrishnan. "Is our lifespan fixed, or could we slow down or even abolish ageing as we learn more about our own biology?" As much of the world gets older, that question has prompted an explosion of research. Every year, scientists publish tens of thousands of papers on ageing and hundreds of new companies have invested billions of dollars in efforts to lengthen lifetimes.
But for all that research, scientists still don't know whether humans have an absolute maximum lifespan. Maybe there really is a limit. After all, even before Covid, life expectancy wasn't increasing as quickly as it once did. Yes, there are more and more 100-plus-year-olds, but it's been almost 27 years since France's Jeanne Calment died at the age of 122, and no one has yet beaten her record.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 27-May 3, 2024-Ausgabe von New Zealand Listener.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 27-May 3, 2024-Ausgabe von New Zealand Listener.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.