EXPERT: How humans can live decades longer until the age of 150
In this DML Report…
Geneticist Dr. Steve Horvath, principal investigator at the Altos Labs Cambridge Institute of Science in the U.K. and former professor of human genetics and biostatistics at UCLA, stated that humans could potentially live to 150 years.
Horvath, who developed the first widely used "aging clock" in the early 2010s, uses molecular changes in cells—measurable through saliva and consistent across tissues like blood, skin, and organs—to estimate biological age. These clocks have been shown in studies to predict mortality risk accurately. He emphasized the need for precise aging measurements to advance longevity research and identify interventions that could reverse aging processes.
U.S. life expectancy reached a high of 79 years in 2024, according to CDC data, with improvements expected in 2025 due to declines in deaths from COVID-19, unintentional injuries such as drug overdoses, heart disease, and cancer. Longevity researcher Dan Buettner, who coined the term "blue zones" for regions where people commonly live to 100, has studied factors contributing to extended lifespans. Horvath predicts that with another 100 years of biomedical innovations, major breakthroughs in health could enable drastic lifespan extensions, provided society avoids wars and pandemics. He dismissed the possibility of living to 1,000 years but affirmed confidence in reaching 150.
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Dr. Eve Henry, chief medical officer at Hundred Health in California, described Horvath's view as not impossible, noting that accurate real-time measurement of biological age allows for rapid testing of longevity interventions rather than decades-long experiments. She highlighted the requirement for a game-changing intervention to reset human physiology for an additional 50 to 70 years. Henry stressed the importance of sustaining independence and quality of life with available tools and care, contrasting it with current extended lifespans that often need extensive assistance. She concluded that while the research is promising, only time will determine the actual future of human lifespan.