Humans might not be able to live forever, but they could one day reach an average age of almost 200, a new study has found.
The research determined that even if every other cause of ageing was removed, the buildup of naturally occurring genetic changes would eventually stop our organs’ ability to function. The paper revealed that a typical human life would be between 146 and 194 years – though some could potentially reach over 550 years old.
The researchers, from Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology in Moscow, hope their work will help create a better understanding of which factors help us age and which we should focus on to ensure a longer life.
The paper – published in the journal NPJ Aging – took a simple scenario and explored it: if we were able to cure every reversible cause of ageing, except for DNA changes in our cells, how long could a human actually live?
Such genetic alterations, called somatic mutations, are not inherited but occur naturally when cells split or become damaged over our lifetime, starting from the moment of conception. Each time a division takes place, small glitches can creep in at random – much like in a photocopy of a photocopy of a photocopy.
