Citing the growth of medical science, and technology, several transhumanists strongly believe that humans will achieve immortality in the future. However, a new study has suggested that humans are not capable of achieving immortality, as the species will be able to live a maximum of between 120 and 150 years. Calling it the absolute limit of human life, researchers who took part in this study made it clear that no humans could live more than this life span.
Limitations of the human body
In the study report published in the journal Nature Communications, researchers revealed that the human body will totally lose its ability to recover from stresses like illness and injury, resulting in death after 120 to 150 years. Using mathematical models, researchers found that therapies will enhance the body's resilience, and could help humans to live longer.
"The problem is at a certain point in aging, the recovery time is so great that we lose resiliency," said Dr. Marc J. Kahn, dean of the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine and vice president for health affairs at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who is not involved in this study Live Science reports.
Studies on human life span
This is not the first study that analyzed the human life span. In 2016, another study conducted by Jan Vijg, a geneticist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine suggested that it is highly unlikely for humans to exceed the lifespan beyond 125 years. However, some other research reports have argued that there is no absolute limit for human life, as it could be enhanced as technology advances.
According to Khan, the best way to extend a human lifespan is by enhancing the health span, as it will allow older people to recover from illness and diseases effectively. Khan also suggested that the possible way to increase resilience among older people is by creating mechanical organs or by reprogramming aging cells.
"Now, we're talking about the whole concept of human and mechanical constructs that are features of science fiction. It's really going to take those types of things to extend human," added Khan.
