I believe humans can have 200+ year lifespans/healthspans. One big reason is that other species already do it.
For example, ocean quahogs live for 200+ years. Greenland sharks live for 250-500 years. Redwood trees can live for over 3,000 years. Bristlecone pines can live for 5,000 years.
Some species of rockfish live for 11 years on average. Some live for 200+ years. Why?
In fact, a study from Sudmant Lab (Science, 2021) studied 88 species of rockfish with various lifespans to identify genetic drivers of lifespan. They found that immunity and DNA repair pathways were associated with longer life. They posited that inflammation may have a major role in aging.
Evolution has figured out long lifespan already. Let's see what we can learn.
There are a few questions I'd like to explore:
- What is the full list of organisms that live for 100s of years?
- How they do they do it?
- Why did they evolve that way?
- What can humans do to mimic this? e.g. gene editing for better DNA repair?
References:
Kolora, et al. Origins and evolution of extreme life span in Pacific Ocean rockfishes. Science, 11 Nov 2021, Vol 374, Issue 6569, pp. 842-847. DOI: 10.1126/science.abg5332