Extending Human Lifespan

Death is one of the biggest fears of humanity., Throughout human history, we have dreamed of ways to destroy it forever. Whether it be imagining immortal gods and gifts such as the Fountain of Immortality, or now when we are researching ways to extend our lifespans. The generally accepted biological limit for the human body is around 125 years. Naturally, as humans, we seek to extend that limit.

Now why is the limit 125 years? The answer is aging. Aging is when an organism accumulates damage in its cells, tissues, and organs over time. Aging is thought to be caused by a variety of things such as genomic instability, or stem cell exhaustion. Genomic instability is the increased tendency for genetic mutations to occur during cell division, and stem cell exhaustion refers to the decline in stem cells and their ability to divide over the course of an individual’s lifetime. 

Research towards life extension goes down many paths. These include anti-aging drugs, nanotechnology, and gene editing. Anti-aging drugs have been tested and shown results in animal models as well as caloric restriction. Some animals such as mice and monkeys have been shown to live longer on a calorie restricted diet. Using this, there have been drugs created that have the same effect as a calorie restricted diet, called caloric restriction mimetic drugs. Nanotechnology is another plausible way to reverse aging. One of the founders of nanotechnology suggested cell repair machines. These small bots could repair cells and undo the damage to the genome that causes the genomic instability that contributes to the aging process. In his book The Singularity is Near, Richard Feyman states the possibility of advanced nanorobotics completely removing the effects of aging by 2030, only 5 years away now. One of the biggest possible routes is gene editing. As previously stated, one of the main causes of aging is the accumulated damage to the gene that occurs during cell division. If you could repair the genome then, theoretically, you could extend one’s life, seeing as one of the reasons for aging is effectively gone. This is the goal of gene editing. Using CRISPR, the gene editing software found in bacteria, you could remove damaged genes and replace them with healthy genes. So far, using a single gene mutation, mice have experienced 50% longer life spans and nematode worms lived 10 times as long. 

As one singular person, however, there isn’t a lot you could do right now. But, if we look to the present and past, we can see a couple places that live longer than anywhere else. These places are called “Blue Zones”. Places like Okinawa, Japan, Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica, Sardinia in Italy, Ikaria, Greece, and Loma Linda, California, USA exhibit the highest concentration of centenarians, or people that live past 100. The people in these areas, generally, don’t have uber healthy diets, regularly drinking alcohol or smoking. They also keep their mental stress at a low, which in this world is a lesson I think we can all follow.

Citation:

Turner, B. (2012). Can we live forever? A sociological and moral inquiry. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 

López-Otín, C., Blasco, M. A., Partridge, L., Serrano, M., & Kroemer, G. (2013). The hallmarks of aging. Retrieved from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3836174/ 

Anderson, R. M., Shanmuganayagam, D., & Weindruch, R. (2008). Caloric restriction and aging: Studies in mice and Monkeys. Retrieved from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3734859/ 

Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. (2025). Medication health fraud for specific diseases and conditions. Retrieved from https://www.fda.gov/drugs/medication-health-fraud/medication-health-fraud-specific-diseases-and-conditions 

Anderson, R. M., Shanmuganayagam, D., & Weindruch, R. (2008). Caloric restriction and aging: Studies in mice and Monkeys. Retrieved from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3734859/ 

Improvement, R. on P. H. (2015). Lessons from the blue zones®. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK298903/