For as long as humans have been aware of their mortality, the question of whether a limit exists to the maximum age we can reach has followed. Attempts to reach this ceiling have attracted a wave of pseudoscience, from injecting the blood of younger people to tests that can tell one's "true age." It seems many people want to reach or exceed the age of Jeanne Calment, the oldest verified living person who died at 122 years, 164 days or Maria Branyas, recently the world’s oldest living person, who died in August in a Spanish nursing home aged 117.
Longevity researchers have been arguing about this question for decades, and a new study published this week reignites this fiery debate among researchers about whether humans will continue to live longer forever or some day reach a lifespan ceiling.
