Open AccessAging and the Inevitable Limit to Human Life Span
Author(s) -
Jan Vijg,
Éric Le Bourg
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
gerontology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.397
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1423-0003
pISSN - 0304-324X
DOI - 10.1159/000477210
Subject(s) - longevity , life span , human life , limit (mathematics) , life expectancy , span (engineering) , gerontology , demography , history , sociology , medicine , political science , engineering , mathematics , law , mathematical analysis , population , civil engineering , humanity
There is a long-lasting debate about a natural limit to human life span, and it has been argued that the maximum reported age at death, which has not increased for ca 25 years, fluctuates around 115 years, even if some persons live beyond this age. We argue that the close connection of species-specific longevity with life history strategies explains why human life span is limited and cannot reach the considerably longer life spans of several other species.