If life-expectancy trends continue, that future may be near,
   backward the time of human origin—life expectancy was short. The few
   Beginning in the 19th century, that slowly changed. Since 1840, life
   year. In 1840, life expectancy at birth in Sweden, a much-studied
   20th century began, life expectancy at birth in America was 47 years;
   century, American life expectancy at birth will be 88 years. By the end
   Viewed globally, the lengthening of life spans seems independent of any
   outbreaks. A graph of global life expectancy over time looks like an
   Projections of ever-longer life spans assume no incredible medical
   research facility dedicated to extending the human life span. Since
   Already, the institute’s researchers have quintupled the life span of
   called the California Life Company (known as Calico) to specialize in
   Should research find a life-span breakthrough, the proportion of the
   continuing uplift of the escalator—may climb even more. Longer life has
   suggest. If longer life expectancy simply leads to more years in which
   slow aging result in added years of reasonable fitness, life might
   research assumes the chronic later-life diseases that are among the
   aging can be slowed? Not just life span but “health span” might
   “Here in our freezers we have 100 or so compounds that extend life in
   modernistic buildings that command a dreamlike view of San Pablo Bay,
   medical research aimed at slowing aging was viewed as quixotic—the sort
   lifetime before an analyst’s eyes, and because a third of yeast genes
   life isn’t known—Buck researchers are trying to figure this out, in the
   life expectancy are quickly observable. “Twenty years ago it was a
   really big deal to extend the life span of worms. Now any postdoc can
   mouse’s life span by about a quarter, and Buck researchers have been
   to 10 small molecules that extend healthy life span in mice, then stage
   to being ethically fraught, human trials of a life-extension substance
   the life spans of small mammals is the strongest finding of anti-aging
   its life-extension properties were noticed in yeast. Lab mice dosed
   viewed as strictly for visitors. If there is a candy machine on the
   knows whether a particular drug or lifestyle modification does any
   researchers hoped it would be. “Lifestyle studies of centenarians can
   lead to early-life interventions that decrease late-life chronic
   caused mainly by genes or mainly by lifestyle and environment, we just
   for long life. “But when we sequence the genome, only 1 percent seems
   as exciting for society as adding years to life expectancy.
   we tend to view diseases as challenges thrown at us by nature, to be
   The life-expectancy escalator has for nearly two centuries risen about
   are assumed to more readily communicate disease. Will life-span
   the eerily linear rise in life expectancy since 1840. Controversially,
   at least until life expectancy at birth surpasses 100. His views
   paper. Linear rise in life expectancy has continued,” Vaupel told me
   living standards continue to improve, Vaupel thinks, life expectancy
   On the opposite side of this coin, Olshansky told me the rise in life
   tremendous statistical impact on life expectancy when the young are
   entire span of a person’s life. Avoiding mortality in a young
   person—say, by vaccine—saves most of the person’s life. Changes in
   medicine or lifestyle that extend the lives of the old don’t add much
   American life expectancy would rise by only three years, because a host
   thinks the 21st century will see the average life span extend “another
   person’s life. Changes in medicine or lifestyle that extend the lives
   the longest confirmed life span, at 122. She’s obviously an outlier,
   Her age at death was well beyond the average life span that either
   argued that life span was nearing a ceiling, only to be proved wrong.
   Life expectancy can be as much as 18 years shorter in low-income U.S.
   that Seventh-Day Adventists enjoy about a decade more life expectancy
   keep us engaged with life.”
   multigeneration home may be best for long life. There are some
   The single best yardstick for measuring a person’s likely life span is
   high-school diploma have experienced relatively small life-span
   increases since the 1950s, while the life expectancy of highly educated
   out of the data like the link between education and life expectancy,”
   Education does not sync with life expectancy because reading
   of a person’s life. Compared with the less educated, people with a
   even as life expectancy rises: the United Nations’ “World Population
   apartment. As life expectancy rises, a Japanese person entering the
   Suppose the escalator slows, and conservative assumptions about life
   projected that by 2050, life expectancy will extend three to eight
   life-span increase is slowing down.
   But if health span does not improve, longer life could make disability
   With Japan at the leading edge of lengthening life expectancy, its
   robot attendants click and hum would be a bad science-fiction movie if
   Between rising life expectancy and the mounting power of incumbency,
   Now think of the Supreme Court as life expectancy increases. The nine
   actuarial life expectancy of a male his current age, he could be a
   Constitution was written, no one could have anticipated how much life
   Court, so confirmation as a justice stops being a lifetime appointment
  A new view of retirement
   about 17 percent of his or her life retired. Now the figure is 22
   lower benefits—is appealing if life is short, but backfires as life
   to push through legislation to account for life-span changes. His
   take a new view of what retirement should be: not a toggle switch—no
   of smallish loans to help a person in the second half of life start a
  Longer life as directed evolution
   expresses later in life cannot be passed along.” Because a mutation
   that favors long life cannot make an animal more likely to succeed at
   In later life, calcium causes stiffening of the arteries, a problem
   short life; today the university is a place where adults watch children
   adolescent: courses priced individually for later-life knowledge
   repelled all assaults. Longer life spans may at last be the
   all-consuming life event.
   support the Vietnam War than the old were; the young were more likely
   phases of life, material and romantic desires have been attained or
   dependency. As life expectancy and health span increase, the seven ages
   may demand revision, with the late phases of life seen as a positive
   Further along may be a rethinking of life as better structured around
   the mists of prehistory. In the brief life of previous centuries, all a
   enervation followed. Today, life is longer, but an education-based
   be the all-consuming life event. After child-rearing, a phase of
   Regardless of where increasing life expectancy leads, the direction