The dynamic upper limit of human lifespan

F1000Res. 2017 Apr 26:6:569. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.11438.2. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

We respond to claims by Dong et al. that human lifespan is limited below 125 years. Using the log-linear increase in mortality rates with age to predict the upper limits of human survival we find, in contrast to Dong et al., that the limit to human lifespan is historically flexible and increasing. This discrepancy can be explained by Dong et al.'s use of data with variable sample sizes, age-biased rounding errors, and log(0) instead of log(1) values in linear regressions. Addressing these issues eliminates the proposed 125-year upper limit to human lifespan.

Keywords: ageing; contradictory findings; human lifespan; life history; lifespan; refutation.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declared that no grants were involved in supporting this work.