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#180 Maximum human lifespan; a twist on a classic physics experiment; saving the kākāpō

The world, the universe and us

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The Rise and Fall of the Maximum Human Lifespan

Jian Kal-Mong, a French woman, is supposed to have reached the age of 122. But she died in 1997 and her record hasn't been surpassed since. Some people think it's because there is an innate limit on the human body that when we just can't get passed round about that age or never will. A new study has refuted this theory by analysing birth and death records from 19 countries. It finds trend for longer lifespans among those born after 1910.

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