It turns out immortality may not be as far-fetched as it seems, at least not in all cases. Researchers studying ginkgo trees, which can potentially live for thousands of years, have found that the oldest trees are just as healthy as the youngest. Can they live forever? Well, we'll have to wait forever to find out. Still, it's reassuring to think that time doesn't destroy these things. Let's lift the veil on mortality and see what we can discover.<\/p>\n
Human life expectancy<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n
It has been suggested that humans may have an absolute limit to lifespan. Currently, the average human lifespan is about 72 years. In 1800, it was only 35 years, but it's important to remember why that was. This didn't mean people died at 35 due to old age; it meant that many people died in childhood, dramatically reducing the average lifespan. People could still live to 70 and beyond. But according to some studies, the most we'll ever achieve is a human lifespan of 150 years.<\/p>\n
Jeanne Louise Calment is the oldest person confirmed to be alive. She died at the age of 122 in 1997.<\/p>\n
It's believed that between the ages of 120 and 150, the human body is simply unable to recover from various stresses and injuries. No matter how healthy you are, it simply won't work. Like a banana left on the counter for too long, you're simply past your prime.<\/p>\n
The study analyzed simple blood tests, measuring the white blood cell ratio and red blood cell size over a period of time. Based on the collected data and computer modeling of how changes would occur over time, the researchers determined that 150 years is the upper limit for the human body, after which it can no longer cope with life's stresses. They call this senescence\u2014a state of gradual decline from which there is no return.<\/p>\n
This in no way means people are ready to accept it. The desire for immortality has fascinated humanity for centuries. Ponce de Le\u00f3n set out in search of the Fountain of Youth in Florida in 1513, unaware that it would one day become a haven for the elderly. Historians have repeatedly claimed to have found the Holy Grail, though no one has yet reported attaining immortality after drinking from it.<\/p>\n
In the modern era, more scientific methods for achieving eternal life are being developed. We'll explore what humans can expect in the future in more detail later, but for now, let's look at the animal kingdom.<\/p>\n
The longest-lived<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n
Many animals can live much longer than humans, but they are by no means immortal. For example, turtles have lived to be 192 years old, which is an impressive achievement in itself. However, this is a mere drop in the bucket compared to some other animals.<\/p>\n
Many ocean creatures boast long lifespans. Arctic bowhead whales, weighing 100 tons, are thought to live for over 200 years. Their cold-water neighbors, Greenland sharks, can live up to 250 years, and some estimates suggest these animals can live for over 500 years.<\/p>\n
The oldest animal in the world was a quahog clam named Ming. Like trees, these clams have growth rings, the age of which can be determined by the growth of the shell. A highly accurate count of the growth rings yielded an astonishing 507.<\/p>\n
For any animal, 500 years is incredible, but some life forms are capable of greater things. For example, black coral has the resilience to survive for thousands of years. Some specimens off the coast of Hawaii have been radiocarbon-dated to be 4,265 years old. These corals were still alive during the construction of Stonehenge.<\/p>\n
Even more impressive than that coral was a species of glass sponge discovered in the East China Sea. Researchers determined that this sponge is a whopping 11,000 years old. Still, that's hardly immortal. It's simply a very long-lived species. What would it take to cross that line and truly become immortal? Judging by what we've observed around the world, some species may indeed have achieved this.<\/p>\n
Immortal jellyfish<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Turritopsis dohrnii is the name of a jellyfish found throughout the world. It inhabits temperate waters and is found from the Caribbean to Japan. Most people know it by its more common name, the "immortal jellyfish.".<\/p>\n
The typical life cycle of a jellyfish goes like this. First, there's a fertilized egg or gamete. From these, a jellyfish larva, called a planula, develops. The planula attaches itself to a rock and develops into strange, voracious little polyps with numerous tiny legs and shared feeding tubes. Amazing! Then the polyps grow into tiny medusae called ephyra, and finally into fully grown medusas, called medusas. So far, so good.<\/p>\n
Typically, when a jellyfish gets too old, it dies like everyone else. But when an immortal jellyfish finds itself in a situation where its life is threatened by environmental stressors and things are going badly, it can revert to the gamete stage and begin its life anew.<\/p>\n
Obviously, the immortal jellyfish, like any other creature, is subject to danger. It could be caught in a ship's propeller, fall prey to a predator, or be poisoned by toxins. There are many ways it could die. But if it had never experienced such traumatic events, if it had been left alone, it could potentially live forever.<\/p>\n
Hydra<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Hydras, closely related to jellyfish, are freshwater invertebrates. Unlike most creatures, hydra stem cells are constantly renewed. This allows hydras to virtually never age. Like immortal jellyfish, if hydras can avoid predators or injuries that would otherwise kill them, there's no reason to believe they couldn't survive in this state forever.<\/p>\n
If a hydra suffers an injury, such as losing a limb, it is capable of regeneration. Even more impressive is that if you dismember the entire animal, each fragment will grow back into a new hydra. Still not impressed? You can put a hydra in a blender and liquefy it. The cells you've pulverized will reorganize and grow back into a hydra. Now that's true resilience! And it's also an example of a scientist who went a bit overboard with his research.<\/p>\n
Planarian worms<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
Planarians are found throughout the world. Some live in salt water, others in fresh water, and still others on land. Like hydras, they have an amazing ability to regenerate cells. Unlike humans, whose cells slow down over time and essentially age, these worms do not have this problem. Their stem cells show no signs of aging and can continue to divide, heal wounds, and replace old cells as if they were brand new.<\/p>\n
While human chromosomes end with a telomere\u2014a kind of protective sheath on the chromosome that follows them during cell division, but shortens each time until the cell can no longer divide\u2014planarians don't have this problem. Their telomeres don't degrade over time.<\/p>\n
The planarian's ability to regenerate is quite impressive. In laboratory conditions, a worm segment 1\/200th of its original size can grow into a completely new organism. If its head is split, it can regrow two new heads.<\/p>\n
Obviously, humans aren't capable of regeneration in the same way these creatures are. But that doesn't mean there aren't people out there who are trying their best to turn back time or stop it altogether.<\/p>\n
Brian Johnson<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
No one is at the forefront of life extension efforts quite like millionaire Brian Johnson. A minor social media celebrity, Johnson periodically makes the news when new information about his life extension efforts is uncovered, not always for the reasons he hopes. He's generally taken highly unusual measures, such as transfusing plasma from his 18-year-old son and father to test the effectiveness of his efforts (there was none). He called them his "blood boys.".<\/p>\n
Johnson is frequently and inexplicably posted naked on social media, and he is often ridiculed for suggesting he has "reset" his biological age, pointing out that he still looks his age. He once had donor fat injected into his face, and he posted photos online that looked quite repulsive. He spends $2 million a year on nutritional supplements, experimental procedures, a special diet, and therapy designed to help him live forever.<\/p>\n
According to 47-year-old Johnson, doctors told him he had the lungs of an 18-year-old, the heart of a 37-year-old, the thyroid of a 23-year-old, the prostate of a 30-year-old, and the skin of a 28-year-old. However, all of this data has already been published.<\/p>\n
He achieves these goals through an extremely carefully designed program he calls "Project Blueprint." To maintain these results, he takes over 100 supplements a day. Fifteen percent of his daily diet consists of olive oil, which costs $75 for two bottles.<\/p>\n
Of course, whether anything he does works or not won't affect us in any way. If he dies young, he's dead, and no one will be able to criticize him after that. And if it does work, we'll all die anyway and never know.<\/p>\n
How many years can a person live?<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\n
We previously stated that the maximum human lifespan is likely to be between 120 and 150 years. This is just one opinion on the matter. Others suggest we could live to be a thousand years old if we started experimenting a little with our genetic code.<\/p>\n
Just as we study how creatures like the hydra can seemingly live forever, it all comes down to their genes. If we can activate or introduce these same genes in humans, perhaps we can achieve the same results. If we're successful enough, perhaps we can live much longer than a thousand years. The figure of 20,000 years was proposed by a professor of molecular biogerontology at the Institute of Inflammation and Ageing at the University of Birmingham.<\/p>\n
Other scientists criticize the methodology of those who have set rigid limits on human lifespan. Some argue that there is no reason to believe we need any limit at all. This doesn't mean they assume humans are immortal in any sense. They argue that by setting a rigid numerical value, you are likely going beyond scientific understanding.<\/p>\n
If you think about it, this approach holds up quite well. If most people live to 70 or 80, and then you see someone who lives to 120, it suggests there's more going on in a person's life than meets the eye. If someone can live to 120, can we assume they'll live to 130? It's illogical to pick an arbitrary number and claim that's how long people live.<\/p>\n
We're still quite a ways from immortality. But that doesn't mean there's no hope for the future. If a tiny worm, a jellyfish, and a hydra can do it, who knows what a millionaire with the right motivation and a large enough team of experts is capable of?<\/p>\n
Other articles that may interest you<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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