Could Humans Live to 156 Years? New Study Challenges the 122-Year Lifespan Limit

A new mathematical study suggests that, in theory, human lifespans could stretch to around 156 years if most biological processes linked to ageing were brought under control, challenging the long‑held view that our natural limit is roughly 122 years.

The researchers behind the model say that even in this scenario, the gradual build‑up of DNA damage in key organs such as the brain and heart would still impose a hard biological ceiling.

Published in npj Aging, the study argues that even if scientists were able to slow or eliminate most known hallmarks of ageing, the accumulation of DNA mutations in critical tissues would remain a decisive constraint.

The findings are based on computational modelling rather than experimental evidence and do not suggest humans are close to reaching such ages.

Model Points to Dna Damage as Last Major Barrier

Researchers from the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology modelled what would happen if most established hallmarks of ageing, including cellular senescence, mitochondrial dysfunction and telomere shortening, were substantially mitigated.

Their model found that somatic mutations, which accumulate in cells throughout life, would remain the principal limiting factor.

According to the researchers, those mutations are especially difficult to overcome because they build up in long‑lived cells, including neurons and heart muscle cells, that cannot readily be replaced.

The model estimated a median maximum lifespan of about 156 years under those conditions.

Study Re‑Examines the 122‑Year Lifespan Ceiling

The findings challenge the widely cited lifespan limit of approximately 122 years, derived from the verified record of Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 aged 122 years and 164 days.

That figure has long been regarded by many ageing researchers as the practical upper boundary of human longevity under current biological conditions.

The new study argues that the ceiling may not be fixed, but instead reflects the combined effects of multiple ageing mechanisms that could, at least theoretically, be modified.

Researchers Emphasise Findings Are Theoretical

The authors cautioned that the work should not be interpreted as evidence that people will soon live to 156 years.

Instead, they described the model as a way of identifying which biological processes would continue limiting lifespan even if other age‑related damage could be prevented or repaired.

The researchers found that removing somatic mutations from the model produced dramatically different results, extending theoretical lifespan into the thousands of years. They acknowledged, however, that no known medical technology can eliminate such mutations across the human body.

Experts Say Clinical Reality Is Still Distant

Although advances in gene therapy, regenerative medicine and cellular reprogramming have intensified research into healthy ageing, scientists have yet to demonstrate interventions capable of producing the lifespan gains envisioned by the model.

The study does not account for many real‑world factors that influence longevity, including disease, environmental exposure, lifestyle and the complex interactions between multiple biological systems.

Researchers said additional experimental work would be needed before any of the model's projections could be evaluated in practice.

Long Lifespans in History and Tradition

Accounts of exceptionally long human lifespans have appeared in religious and historical traditions for centuries. The Book of Genesis describes several biblical patriarchs as living for hundreds of years, including Methuselah, who is said to have lived 969 years.

Those accounts are matters of religious tradition rather than scientific evidence and are unrelated to the biological modelling presented in the new study.

The researchers instead based their conclusions on mathematical simulations of ageing processes and currently understood mechanisms of DNA damage.