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I wonder if someone can live up yo 200 years old
Question Date: 2005-01-20
Answer 1:

The oldest person known lived to be 114 years old. The answer to your question has to do with the physiology of aging, which is not wholly understood.

There is a limit to the number of times that cells can divide imposed by the length of telomeres - protective snippets of DNA on the chromosomes, and they may be related to our mortality. If so, then without genetic engineering, there would be a limit to how long people can live. Based on the real world, one-hundred-and-teens seems to be near or around that limit, but we just don't know. If we could somehow lengthen the telomeres, could we make immortality?


Answer 2:

Nobody has ever been known to live for 200 years, but that doesn't mean it could never happen. Currently, it is very unlikely because of the way our bodies age and the way different systems in our body get worn out. It's impossible to say for sure, though, since we don't really have a good understanding of how aging really happens. I guess that means that the answer to your question is probably not, but maybe someday!



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