In Pushkin we read: "An old man of about 30 entered the room." The "old woman" -mother Tatiana Larina was about 36 years old. The old woman-pawnbroker, whom Raskolnikov killed, is 42 years old. Today this age is considered not even average, it is almost youth.

Scientists state that over the past 100 years, the average life expectancy in almost all countries has grown rapidly. The reasons are obvious: the progress of medicine, social security and other benefits of civilization. And the optimists have already made a seemingly suggestive conclusion: since progress cannot be stopped, then a person will continue to grow in age. An example, as they say, is before your eyes. Compared to 1990, now in the EU countries they began to live almost eight years longer: from 74.2 years, the duration increased to 80.9 years. If everything continues at the same pace, then by the middle of the century the average age of a European will exceed the 90-year threshold, and the "aksakals" will overcome the 150-year mark. Maybe, in general, we will not soon hit the biological limit of life expectancy and someone will even reach the age of the biblical Methuselah ?? And does it exist, this limit?

American biologists decided to find an answer to this question. After examining data for 41 countries, they confirmed that almost everywhere people began to live longer. And it seems that we are really far from the biological limit. But there is a serious catch in this beautiful and tempting hypothesis. The fact is that life expectancy is usually calculated taking into account mortality at all ages. And here's the attention: it is rapidly declining among young people. It is young people who provide such a striking effect on life expectancy in the 20th century. But the picture is quite different among those who are approaching a respectable age.

The old woman-pawnbroker, whom Raskolnikov killed, was 42 years old, the "old woman" -mother Tatyana Larina - 36. Today this age is almost youth

This came as a surprise to scientists. It turned out that among elderly people under the age of 100 and even 105 years, the mortality rate in the XX century really decreased sharply, so there are more and more such centenarians. This fits well with the hypothesis of the cardinal role of medicine and other benefits of civilization. But then suddenly this law stops working. The fact is that the number of those who survived to age 110 does not grow at all, and the longevity record has not changed since 1997, when 122-year-old Zhanna Kalman passed away. American scientists have calculated that, while maintaining the current state of affairs, super-long-livers who have crossed the 125-year threshold should appear approximately once in a hundred centuries.

On this basis, the authors draw, frankly, a historical conclusion: a person's life span has a biological limit. Moreover, it has already been achieved. But they were even more impressed by another fact: all the great achievements of civilization, which made it possible to increase the average life expectancy by more than one and a half times in one century, did not manage to reduce the mortality rate among superlong-livers. Conclusion: this cannot be done without revolutionary technologies, primarily in genetics. And here research is in full swing, it is true, so far on animals, but sensations follow one after another. With the help of genetic engineering methods, scientists have doubled the lifespan of worms, flies and mice. And this year, all the world's media blew up the message that 44-year-old American Elizabeth Parrish decided on such an experiment. Of course, the act is, to put it mildly, extraordinary, even shocking. The overwhelming number of scientists believe that such experiments are a serious risk, because the side effects have not been studied, and the results of experiments on animals cannot in any case be transferred to humans, this requires long-term research. By the way, there are many skeptics who generally doubt that Parrish decided on gene therapy, that this is a non-trivial publicity stunt. But the results of the experiment with the new Methuselah are awaited by everyone with interest.

Meanwhile

The average life expectancy in the EU has exceeded 80 years for the first time in history. It grew by almost seven years, rising from 74.2 years in 1990 to 80.9 years in 2014. People in the western EU countries live on average eight years longer than in the states of Central and Eastern Europe. Experts also predict a rapidly aging population in Europe. If in the 1980s people over 65 accounted for 10 percent of EU citizens, in 2015 they are already 20 percent, and by 2060 it will grow to 30. In Russia, the average life expectancy has reached a historical maximum - 71.39 years.

WHO has calculated that human health is about 20 percent determined by genetics, 25 - by ecology and 15 - by the level of medicine. The remaining 40 percent depend on the conditions and lifestyle of the person. In particular, quitting smoking, alcohol and fatty foods in combination with exercise will greatly improve the quality and duration of life.

Infographics "RG" / Anton Perepletchikov / Yuri Medvedev

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Ekaterina Sivkova

Every week we find an answer to one unexpected question. This week, we look at how longevity can change the world we live in.

What happens if all people live to be one hundred years old?

James Vaupel

Director of the laboratory of the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (Germany)

“There is a tradition in Germany: the president personally congratulates citizens who celebrate their centenary. It didn’t take long 50 years ago, but now it’s a rather time consuming ceremony. The likelihood that an 80-year-old resident of an industrialized country will live to be 100 years old (compared to 1950), increased 20 times. The population is aging, and there is ample evidence that this process will only gain momentum. We have no reason to think that we are approaching the limit of life expectancy. Thanks to advances in medicine, a high level of economic development and technological progress, the mortality rate in modern society has dropped significantly.

It is now difficult to determine what will happen to the life expectancy curve in the future. The factors affecting longevity may change, but it is an undeniable fact that people will live longer. Over the previous 160 years, each decade, the average life expectancy has increased by 2.5 years. If this trend continues, then in 60 years the first country will appear with an average life expectancy of 100 years. No one is talking about immortality yet, but over time there will be more and more centenarians.

If life expectancy continues to increase at the same rate as before, this will lead to serious transformations in the social and political life of most countries. Now the official structures do not take these forecasts into account. This makes it much easier for them to plan their budget for pensions, health care and various social needs. Of course, the longevity of most of the country's citizens will be a heavy burden on the state. Therefore, it is important to allocate funds and spend time not only on increasing life expectancy, but also on healthy aging. ”

Aubrey de gray

“Many are concerned about the overpopulation of the Earth. Their logic is clear: if aging is reversible, then mortality will practically disappear or at least become much lower. This will lead to the fact that we will not be able to have many children. This is where the dilemma really arises when it comes to choosing between a low birth rate or a high death rate. You can give up the fight against old age in favor of the opportunity to have many children.

People are convinced that aging is inevitable. For them, everything is clear: aging is a side effect of the life-sustaining process, or rather a side effect of metabolism. Despite the self-healing mechanisms existing in our body, these side effects accumulate and lead to pathologies. There are two points of view in the fight against aging: the gerontology approach and the geriatrics approach. The geriatrician intervenes when the pathology is already obvious, he tries to stop the hourglass and reduce the influence of the factors leading to the pathology. This is, of course, a very short-term strategy and a lost battle. At first glance, gerontology looks much more promising - after all, it is better to prevent than to cure. But the fact is that metabolism is not well understood. We do not understand so well the principles of our body's work, we do not even know much about the work of the cell. Discoveries such as RNA interference were made only a few years ago, and this is a fundamental part of the work of the cell. In general, gerontology is an approach that is ultimately very effective, but its time has not come yet.

Most people, having heard my predictions that many living today will be able to live for 1,000 years or more, think that we are talking about the fact that in the coming decades they will invent such thorough methods of eradicating old age that will allow them to live 1,000 years or more. I am not saying this at all. I say that it is enough to improve the methods of treatment at a certain pace. Medicine will never be perfect, but we can eliminate the causes of death of 200-year-old people before they even appear. "

Greg Easterbrug

writer, columnist for The Atlantic Monthly and The New Republic

“An increase in life expectancy could lead to de facto gerontocracy - power will be in the hands of elderly political leaders. The youth will work for the elderly and will realize all the injustice of the social system. The public debt will grow. The existing government will direct all its forces to preserve the regime and block any innovations and non-standard ideas.

And these are not predictions about the future of the United States, but rather a description of the current situation in Japan. This country is experiencing the most dramatic aging of society in the world. Already, the average age of a Japanese is 45. (in the USA this figure is 37 years old), and by 2040 it will reach 55 years. The aging of Japan's population stems from a very low birth rate - insufficient population growth with a strict migration policy. Remaining a country of migrants, the United States provides the necessary population growth while life expectancy rises.

It is easy to trace the connection between the demographic situation in Japan and the existence of a huge public debt. Last year it reached $ 10 trillion, twice the GDP. And young people are extremely passive about the political life of the country: the youth turnout at the elections is catastrophically low. In addition, the growing number of elderly people who need attention and care can lead to the proliferation of completely creepy inventions. Foxconn is already making a robot nurse for retirees. And this is no longer the plot of a sci-fi film, it is becoming our reality. "

Scientists who study the ancient world argue that our ancestors lived much less than modern humans. No wonder, because before there was such a developed medicine, there was no knowledge in the field of our health that allows a person today to take care of himself and portend dangerous diseases.

However, there is another opinion that our ancestors, on the contrary, lived much longer than you and me. They ate ecologically clean food, used natural medicines (herbs, decoctions, ointments). And the atmosphere of our planet was much better than it is now.

True, as always, somewhere in between. This article will help you better understand what was the life expectancy of people in different eras.

The oldest world and the first people

Science has proven that the first people appeared in Africa. Human communities did not appear immediately, but in the process of a long and painstaking formation of a special system of relationships, which today are called "public" or "social". Gradually, ancient people moved from place to place and occupied new territories of our planet. And by about the end of the 4th millennium BC, the first civilizations began to appear. This moment became a turning point in the history of mankind.

The times of the primitive communal system still occupy most of the history of our species. This was the era of the formation of man as a social being and as a biological species. It was during this period that the ways of communication and interaction were formed. Languages ​​and cultures were created. The person learned to think and make reasonable decisions. The first rudiments of medicine and healing appeared.

This primary knowledge became a catalyst for the development of mankind, thanks to which we live in the world that we have now.

Ancient human anatomy

There is such a science - paleopathology. She studies the structure of ancient people from the remains found during archaeological excavations. And according to the data obtained during the research of these finds, scientists have found that ancient people were sick just like us, although before the advent of this science everything was completely different... Scientists believed that prehistoric man was not at all sick and was completely healthy, and diseases appeared as a result of the emergence of civilization. Thanks to knowledge in this area, modern scientists have found that diseases appeared before humans.

It turns out that our ancestors were also endangered by harmful bacteria and various diseases. From the remains, it was determined that tuberculosis, caries, tumors and other diseases were not uncommon among ancient people.

The way of life of ancient people

But not only diseases caused difficulties for our ancestors. The constant struggle for food, for territory with other tribes, non-observance of any hygiene rules. Only during the hunt for a mammoth from a group of 20 people could return about 5-6.

Ancient man completely relied on himself and on his abilities. Every day he fought for survival. There was no question of mental development. The ancestors hunted and defended the territory in which they lived.

Only later did people learn to pick berries, roots, and grow some kind of grain. But from hunting and gathering to an agrarian society that marked the beginning of a new era, humanity went for a very long time.

Life span of primitive man

But how did our ancestors cope with these diseases in the absence of any medicines or knowledge in the field of medicine? The very first people had a hard time. The maximum, to which they lived, was the age of 26-30 years. However, over time, a person has learned to adapt to certain environmental conditions, and to understand the nature of certain changes in the body. Gradually, the life expectancy of ancient people began to increase. But this happened very slowly as the healing skills developed.

There are three stages in the formation of primitive medicine:

• Stage 1 - the formation of primitive communities. People were just beginning to accumulate knowledge and experience in the field of healing. They used animal fats, applied various herbs to wounds, prepared decoctions from ingredients that came to hand;
• Stage 2 - the development of a primitive community and a gradual transition to their disintegration. Ancient man learned to observe the processes of the course of the disease. I began to compare the changes that took place during the healing process. The first "drugs" appeared;
• Stage 3 - the collapse of primitive communities. At this stage of development, medical practice finally began to form. People have learned to treat certain ailments in effective ways. They realized that death can be deceived and avoided. The first doctors appeared;

In ancient times, people died from the most insignificant diseases, which today do not cause any concern and are treated in one day. A man died in the prime of his strength without having time to live to old age. The average human duration in prehistoric times was extremely low. For the better, everything began to change in the Middle Ages, which will be discussed further.

Middle Ages

The first scourge of the Middle Ages is hunger and disease, which still migrated from the ancient world. In the Middle Ages, people not only starved, but also satisfied their hunger with terrible food. Animals were killed on dirty farms in complete unsanitary conditions. There was no question of sterile cooking methods. In medieval Europe, the swine flu epidemic claimed tens of thousands of lives. In the 14th century, a plague pandemic that broke out in Asia wiped out a quarter of Europe's population.

Medieval man's lifestyle

What did people do in the Middle Ages? The eternal problems are the same. Diseases, the struggle for food, for new territories, but to this were added more and more problems that a person had when he became smarter. Now people began to wage wars for ideology, for an idea, for a religion. If earlier man fought with nature, now he fought with his fellows.

But along with this, many other problems went away. Now people have learned how to make fire, build reliable and durable dwellings for themselves, and began to observe primitive rules of hygiene. Man learned to hunt skillfully, invented new methods to simplify everyday life.

Life expectancy in antiquity and the Middle Ages

The miserable state in which medicine was in ancient times and the Middle Ages, many incurable diseases at that time, poor and terrible nutrition - all these are signs that characterize the early Middle Ages. And this is not to mention the constant strife between people, the conduct of wars and crusades, which claimed hundreds of thousands of human lives. The average life expectancy still did not exceed 30-33 years. Forty-year-old men were already called "mature husband", and a man of fifty was called "elderly" at all. Inhabitants of Europe of the XX century. lived to be 55 years old.

In ancient Greece, people lived for an average of 29 years. This does not mean that in Greece a person lived to be twenty-nine years old and died, but this was considered old age. And this despite the fact that at that time in Greece the first so-called "hospitals" were already formed.

The same can be said about Ancient Rome. Everyone knows about the powerful Roman soldiers who served in the empire. If you look at the ancient frescoes, then in each of them you can recognize some god from Olympus. Immediately one gets the impression that such a person will live a long time and will remain healthy throughout his life. But statistics suggest otherwise. The UOJ in Rome was barely 23 years old. The average duration throughout the Roman Empire was 32 years. So the Roman wars weren't all that healthy? Or are incurable diseases to blame for everything, from which no one was immune? It is difficult to answer this question, but data taken from more than 25,000 epitaphs on the gravestones of cemeteries in Rome speak of just such numbers.

In the Egyptian empire, which existed before the beginning of our era, which is the cradle of civilization, the UOJ was no better. She was only 23 years old. What can we say about the less civilized states of antiquity, if the life expectancy even in ancient Egypt was negligible? It was in Egypt that people first learned to heal people with the venom of snakes. Egypt was famous for its medicine. At that stage in the development of mankind, it was the foremost.

Late Middle Ages

What about the later Middle Ages? In England, from the 16th to the 17th century, the plague was raging. Average life expectancy in the 17th century. reached only 30 years old. In Holland and Germany in the 18th century, the situation was no better: people lived on average to 31 years.

But life expectancy in the 19th century. began to increase slowly but surely. Russia of the XIX century was able to increase the indicator to 34 years. In those days in the same England lived less: only 32 years.

As a result, we can conclude that life expectancy in the Middle Ages remained at a low level and did not change over the centuries.

Modernity and our days

And only with the onset of the 20th century, mankind began to level out the indicators of average life expectancy. New technologies began to appear, people mastered new methods of curing diseases, the first drugs appeared in the form in which we are used to seeing them now. AOJ began to increase dramatically in the middle of the twentieth century. Many countries began to develop rapidly and improve their economies, which made it possible to increase the living standards of people. Infrastructure, medical equipment, everyday life, sanitary conditions, the emergence of more complex sciences. All this has led to a dramatic improvement in the demographic situation around the planet.

The twentieth century heralded a new era in the development of mankind. It was truly a revolution in the world of medicine and an improvement in the quality of life of our species. For some half a century, the life expectancy in Russia has almost doubled. From 34 to 65. These figures are striking, because for several millennia a person could not increase his life expectancy even by a couple of years.

But the sharp rise was followed by a similar stagnation. From the mid-twentieth century until the twenty-first century, no discoveries were made that radically changed the concept of medicine. Certain discoveries were made, but this was not enough. ALE on the planet did not increase as rapidly as it did in the middle of the 20th century.

XXI Century

The question of our connection with nature has arisen sharply before mankind. The ecological situation on the planet began to deteriorate sharply against the backdrop of the twentieth century. And many were divided into two camps. Some believe that new diseases appear as a result of our disregard for nature and the environment, while others, on the contrary, believe that the more we move away from nature, the more we extend the period of stay in the world. Let's consider this issue in more detail.

Of course, it is foolish to deny that without special achievements in the field of medicine, mankind would have remained at the same level of knowledge of itself, of its body at the same level as in the Middle and even later ages. Now humanity has learned to cure diseases that have destroyed millions of people. Whole cities were taken away. Advances in various sciences such as biology, chemistry, physics allow us to open up new horizons in improving our quality of life. Unfortunately, progress requires sacrifice. And as we accumulate knowledge and improve technology, we inexorably destroy our nature.

Medicine and healthcare in the 21st century

But this is the price we pay for progress. Modern man lives many times longer than his distant ancestors. Medicine works wonders today. We have learned to transplant organs, rejuvenate the skin, delay the aging of body cells, and identify pathologies at the stage of formation. And this is only a small part of what modern medicine can offer to everyone.

Physicians have been valued throughout human history. Tribes and communities with more experienced shamans and medicine men survived longer than others and were stronger. The states in which medicine was developed suffered less from epidemics. And now those countries in which the health care system is developed, people can not only be treated for diseases, but also significantly prolong their lives.

Today, the overwhelming majority of the world's population is free from the problems that people faced before. No need to hunt, no need to make fire, no need to be afraid of dying of a cold. Today man lives and accumulates wealth. Every day he does not survive, but he makes his life more comfortable. He goes to work, rests on weekends, has a choice. He has all the means for self-development. People today eat and drink as much as they want. They don't have to worry about getting food when everything is in stores.

Life expectancy today

The average life expectancy today is approximately 83 years for women and 78 years for men. These figures cannot be compared with those that were in the Middle Ages, and even more so in antiquity. Scientists say that biologically, a person is allotted about 120 years. So why are older people who turn 90 still considered centenarians?

It's all about our attitude to health and lifestyle. After all, the increase in the average life expectancy of a modern person is associated not only with the improvement of medicine. Here, the knowledge that we have about ourselves and the structure of the body also plays an important role. People have learned to follow the rules of hygiene and body care. A modern person who cares about his longevity, leads a correct and healthy lifestyle, does not abuse bad habits. He knows that it is better to live in places with a clean environment.

Statistics show that in different countries where the culture of a healthy lifestyle is instilled in citizens from childhood, the mortality rate is significantly lower than in countries where this is not given due attention.

The Japanese are the longest-lived nation. People in this country have been accustomed to the correct way of life since childhood. And how many examples of such countries: Sweden, Austria, China, Iceland, etc.

A person has long walked to this level and life expectancy. He overcame all the trials that nature threw him. How many we suffered from diseases, from cataclysms, from the realization of the fate that is in store for all of us, but still moved on. And we are still moving towards new achievements. Think about the path we have traveled through the centuries-old history of our ancestors and that their legacy should not be wasted, that we should only continue to improve the quality and duration of our lives.

Life expectancy in different eras (video)

We humans are proud of our long (and ever longer) lives, but the surprising fact is that in terms of longevity Homo sapiens significantly inferior to some other representatives, including sharks, whales and even or. In this article, you will learn about 11 of the longest-lived representatives of various in order of increasing life expectancy.

Longest-lived insect - termite queen (50 years)

Usually people think that insects only live for a few days or weeks, but if you are especially important, all the rules cease to apply. Regardless of the species, the termite colony is ruled by a king and queen. After insemination by the male, the queen slowly ramps up egg production, starting from a few dozen and eventually reaching the level of about 25,000 eggs per day (of course, not all of these eggs mature). Not a predator's meal, termite queens have been known to reach 50 years of age, and kings (who spend most of their lives trapped in a mating chamber with their fertile queens) also have relatively long lives. As for the simple worker termites that make up the bulk of the colony, they live a maximum of one to two years. This is the fate of an ordinary slave.

Longest-lived fish - koi carp (50 years)

In the wild, fish rarely live longer than a few years, and even aquarium goldfish require good care to reach a decade. But many fish in the world would envy the colored koi, popular in Japan and other parts of the world, including the United States. Like other cyprinids, koi can withstand a wide variety of environmental conditions, although (especially given their vibrant colors that people like), they are not particularly well camouflaged for protection from predators. Individual koi are believed to live for over 200 years, but the most widely held estimate among scientists is 50 years, which is much longer than the average inhabitant of your aquarium.

Longest-lived bird - macaw (100 years old)

These colorful parrots are capable of reproducing throughout their lives: females incubate eggs and take care of chicks, while males forage for food. With a life expectancy of up to 60 years in the wild and up to 100 years in captivity, macaws are practically not inferior to humans. Ironically, although these birds can live for a very long time, many species are endangered due to the desire of people to keep them as pets and logging. The longevity of macaws and other members of the parrot family begs the question: since birds evolved from dinosaurs, and since we know that many dinosaurs were just as small and colorful, could some of these prehistoric reptiles reach 100 years of age?

Longest-lived amphibian - European Proteus (100 years)

If you are asked to name animals that regularly reach the century-old milestone, then the blind amphibian is the European Proteus ( Proteus anguinus) will probably be the last on your list: how can a fragile, eyeless, cave, 30cm amphibian survive in the wild for at least a couple of weeks? Naturalists attribute the longevity of the European Proteus to an unusually slow metabolism. These amphibians reach sexual maturity only at 15 years old, and they also lay eggs no more than once every 12 years. They practically do not move, except when searching for food. Moreover, in the damp caves of southern Europe, where the European Proteus lives, there are practically no predators, which allows them to live up to 100 years in the wild. By comparison, the Japanese giant salamander, which is the second most long-lived amphibian, rarely surpasses the 50-year mark.

Longest-lived primate - human (100 years old)

People often live to be 100 or more years old, which makes us the champions for life expectancy among primates. There are about half a million people in the world about 100 years old. Tens of thousands of years ago Homo sapiens was considered elderly if he lived to be 20-30 years old, and until the 18th century, the average life expectancy rarely exceeded 50 years. The main culprits were high infant mortality and susceptibility to fatal diseases. However, at any stage in human history, if you managed to survive early childhood and adolescence, your chances of living at 50, 60, or even 70 were greatly multiplied. What can we attribute this amazing increase in longevity? Well, in a word, civilization, especially sanitation, medicine, nutrition and cooperation (during the ice age, a tribe of people most likely abandoned their elderly relatives to starve in the cold, and today we are making special efforts to take care of our eighty-year-old relatives.)

Longest-lived mammal - bowhead whale (200 years)

As a rule, larger mammals have a relatively long lifespan, but even by this standard, bowhead whales are far ahead, as they often step over the 200-year mark. Recently, analysis of the bowhead whale's genome has shed some light on this mystery: it turns out that these whales have unique genes that aid in DNA repair and resistance to mutations (and therefore cancer). Since the bowhead whale lives in arctic and subarctic waters, its relatively slow metabolism may also have something to do with longevity. Today there are about 25,000 bowhead whales in the northern hemisphere, a positive trend in population recovery since 1966, when a major international effort was made to contain the whalers.

Longest-lived reptile - giant tortoise (300 years old)

The giant tortoises of the Galapagos and Seychelles are classic examples of "island gigantism" —the tendency of animals confined to island habitats and without natural predators to grow to unusually large sizes. And these turtles have a lifespan ideally matched to their mass of 200 to 500 kg. As you know, giant turtles live more than 200 years, and there is every reason to believe that in the wild they regularly cross the 300-year mark. Like some of the other animals on this list, the reasons for the longevity of giant turtles are obvious: these reptiles move very slowly, their basal metabolism is extremely low, and life stages tend to be relatively extended (for example, the giant tortoise Aldabra reaches puberty only at 30).

Longest-lived shark - Greenland shark (400 years)

If there was justice in the world, the Greenland shark would be as famous as the great white shark: it is also large (some adults exceed 1000 kg) and much more exotic given its northern arctic habitat. You might think that the Greenland shark is as dangerous as the star of the jaws, but while the hungry white shark will bite you in half, the Grenadian shark is relatively harmless to humans. However, the most remarkable fact about the Greenland shark is its lifespan of over 400 years. This longevity is due to the cold habitat and very low metabolism. Surprisingly, these sharks reach puberty after 100 years, while most others at this age are not only sexually inactive, but have long been dead!

The longest-lived mollusc is Icelandic cyprin ( Arctica islandica) (500 years)

A 500-year-old clam sounds like a joke since most clams are practically motionless, and how can you tell with certainty if it's alive or not? However, there are scientists who are researching similar things, and they determined that Icelandic cyprinus ( Arctica islandica) can literally live for centuries, as evidenced by one 500-year-old specimen (you can tell the age of a mollusk by counting the growth rings on its shell). Ironically, Icelandic cyprine is also a popular food in some parts of the world, meaning that most shellfish will never be able to celebrate their five hundredth anniversary. Biologists have yet to figure out why Arctica islandica live that long, but one reason may be the relatively stable levels of antioxidants that prevent the damage responsible for most of the signs of aging in animals.

Longest-lived microorganisms - endoliths (10,000 years)

Determining the life span of microorganisms is a rather complicated process. In a sense, all bacteria are immortal because they spread their genetic information by constantly sharing (and not like most higher animals by having sex). The term "endoliths" refers to, or algae, that live deep underground in rock crevices, corals and animal shells. Studies have shown that some individuals from endolithic colonies undergo cell division only once every hundred years, and their lifespan reaches 10,000 years. Technically, this is different from the ability of some microorganisms to revive after stagnation or deep freezing after tens of thousands of years. Endoliths are literally constantly "alive", although not very active. They are autotrophic organisms that metabolize not using oxygen or sunlight, but using inorganic chemicals that are practically inexhaustible in their habitats.

Longest-lived invertebrate - Turritopsis dohrnii (potentially immortal)

There is no reliable way to determine how many years the average jellyfish lives. These are so fragile that they do not lend themselves to intensive laboratory research. However, no rating of centenarians would be complete without mentioning Turritopsis dohrnii is a type of jellyfish that is able to return to the polyp stage after reaching puberty, making them potentially immortal. However, it is almost unbelievable that any individual T. dohrnii could live for millions of years. Biological "immortality" does not mean that you will not be eaten by other animals or killed by sudden changes in environmental conditions. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to keep jellyfish T. dohrnii in captivity, a feat that so far has only been performed by one scientist working in Japan.

With each new decade, people are getting taller, fatter, but they live longer than ever before in the history of mankind. And all these changes have taken place in just the last 100 years. Is this the result of evolution? “If you look at the situation scientifically, just one century is not enough for genetic change. Most of the transformations that occur over such a short period are the result of nutrition, food distribution, health and hygiene, ”says Stephen Stearns, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Yale University. Let's see how the human body has changed over 100 years of evolution.

Average human height 100 years ago and now: The height of a man 100 years ago is 165 cm The height of a man is now 182 cm The height of a woman 100 years ago is 155 cm The height of a woman is now 170 cm For a visual demonstration, you can compare Charlie Chaplin, who 100 years ago weighed 60 kg with a height of 165 cm, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose height is 188 cm, and weight - 105 kg. Recent studies by British scientists have shown that young men have grown by 10 centimeters since the beginning of the 20th century. The experimental specimen was recruits, whose height at the turn of the century became an average of 168 centimeters, while now it is about 178 centimeters. The increase may be attributed to improved nutrition and hygiene, as well as advances in health care, researchers from the University of Essex say.

In a number of other developed countries, human growth has also increased significantly. For example, in the Netherlands, the average height of a man in the 21st century is 185 centimeters. Interestingly, Americans were the tallest people in the world during World War II. Their averages stood at 177 cm, but by the end of the 20th century, the increase in the growth of the American nation slowed down significantly. But in some countries that suffer from war, disease and other serious problems, the average height of a person has decreased. For example, scientists have long observed a decline in average height among blacks in South Africa between the late 19th century and the 1970s. They explain this regression by the deterioration of socio-economic conditions before and during apartheid. This demonstrates a powerful intergenerational connection: something bad that happened to your mother carries over to you and your children. And this chain spans about five generations of your kind. Unfortunately, for many people, growth seems to be a factor that can influence quality of life and chances of survival. For example, in the United States of America, this stereotype has led to taller people making more money on average, according to a 2009 study.

Average indicators of human weight 100 years ago and now: Weight of a man 100 years ago - 65 kg Weight of a man now - 90 kg Weight of a woman 100 years ago - 55 cm Weight of a woman now - 60 kg To be convinced of the veracity of these figures, you can recall the standard of female beauty 50s - Marilyn Monroe. The sex symbol of the last century and the popular actress had a height of 162 cm and a weight of 60 kg, from which she was always considered a donut. Another film star of the 30s, Marlene Dietrich, weighed 50 kg with a height of 165 cm, while Monica Bellucci - 68 kg with a height of 171 cm.Professor Bogin has been studying the growth patterns of people from the Mayan tribe since the 1970s. who live in Guatemala, Mexico and the United States. He noticed that children of Mayan immigrants who live in the United States are born 11.4 cm taller than siblings born in Mexico or Guatemala. These are likely the results of access to more nutritious food, as well as improved health care, Bogin notes. But the increase in these indicators comes at a high cost. Not only do the Mayan children look like Americans in height, they acquire a real American weight.

“People are getting fatter all over the world,” says Bogin. In 2013, 29% of the world's population was overweight or obese, according to scientific research. Some scientists point to traditional reasons for weight gain: people eat too much genetically modified and other unhealthy foods, but exercise too little. But, others offer alternative explanations, including the role of genetics and viruses that are associated with obesity. The problem of being overweight becomes even more complex as many studies link increased body fat to poverty, a theory that goes against the popular claim that excess weight comes from being overweight. While researching Mayan children in Florida, Bogin noticed that they had the highest rates of overweight and obesity of any ethnic and racial group in the area (including Mexicans, African Americans, Haitians, and Europeans). He suggested that it had something to do with epigenetics or hereditary changes. “Because your mother and your grandmother suffered, this suffering does not leave its mark on this generation of children. They expect that in the future they will also have bad times and they will not have enough food, ”said Professor Bogin. “Therefore, when children have good times in their lives and there is a lot of food on the table, the body prefers to store excess energy in the form of subcutaneous fat. This accumulation mechanism is due to a history of malnutrition or starvation of other poor people around the world who are becoming overweight. ” Plus, more weight doesn't mean more strength. In the middle of the 20th century, the average teenager could lift up to 55 kg, and the modern one - only 36 kg.
Life span

LIFE LENGTH.

Average life expectancy 100 years ago and now: Life expectancy of a man 100 years ago - 45 years Life expectancy of a man now - 62 Life expectancy of a woman 100 years ago - 40 years Life expectancy of a woman now - 73 years the last 100 years have seen many positive changes in the human body. Thanks to a variety of food, a high standard of medicine, improved sanitation and access to clean water, people have begun to live on average 20 years longer. In addition, all the chronic diseases that 40-year-old ladies and gentlemen suffered from 100 years ago have moved away by 10-20 years. While all of these factors have significantly reduced mortality from infectious diseases, deaths from degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, heart disease and cancer are on the rise in the 21st century. "An American child born in 2000 can expect to live 77 years and is likely to die of cardiovascular disease or cancer," Bogin said. In addition, common autoimmune diseases such as sclerosis and diabetes mellitus are linked to improved hygiene, the same factor that has enabled people to get rid of many infectious diseases. When the body is not exposed to absolutely no or very little germs, the immune system can respond inadequately to even benign microorganisms. In other words, people live longer but die from various diseases. It is difficult to say what the future holds for humanity. It seems to many that the fate of the human race depends on scientists in white coats who arrange the future of evolution with the help of genetic engineering. How do you know? In fact, each of us has an insignificant effect on the future of a person.