For over 150 years, the average human lifespan has increased significantly due to advancements in medicine, including vaccines, antibiotics, and better healthcare. However, the maximum age that a human can reach—known as the maximum lifespan—has not changed much. The current record for the longest human life is 122 years and 164 days, set by Jeanne Calment of France. Venki Ramakrishnan, a Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry for 2009, discusses these issues in an interview with the University of Chicago and in his book Why We Die. He explains that while more people are living longer on average, the upper limit of human life remains nearly the same as it was in the 19th century. Nearly 30 years after Calment's death, her record still stands as the longest confirmed human lifespan. Since the 19th century, improvements in nutrition, hygiene, and medical care have allowed more people to live to an older age. However, the extreme upper limit of human life has remained largely unchanged. As people age, the risk of dying increases sharply. For example, the chance of dying in a given year is about 0.1% at age 25, but it rises to 1% at 60, 6% at 80, and 16% at 100. Once someone reaches 108 years, they have only a 50% chance of surviving another year. Beyond this age, the odds of survival become even more challenging. Ramakrishnan notes that there is no physical law preventing humans from living to 150 or even 200 years. However, the main challenge lies in the gradual wear and tear on the body. Our cells work constantly to repair DNA, remove waste, recycle proteins, and maintain mitochondria—the energy-producing parts of the cell. But this maintenance system becomes less effective over time. Another issue is the accumulation of somatic mutations, which are genetic errors that occur in cells over the years. Aging is not caused by a single factor, but by many different processes. Even if some of these mechanisms are understood and addressed, others would still remain to be solved. Scientists are exploring several potential pathways to slow down aging. Caloric restriction, which involves reducing food intake, has been shown to affect metabolic processes and autophagy—cellular recycling—in various animals, but its impact on human longevity is still unclear. Rapamycin, a drug that targets the mTOR metabolic pathway, has been shown to extend the lifespan of mice, but it may weaken the immune system. Other research focuses on rejuvenating cells through partial reprogramming using Yamanaka factors, which can reset the cellular clock without fully erasing a cell's identity—complete reprogramming can lead to cancer. Drugs like metformin and GLP-1 agonists, originally developed for diabetes, are also being studied, but there is not yet enough evidence of their effectiveness in healthy individuals. Despite these promising areas of research, none of these methods have yet extended the maximum human lifespan. This is why Ramakrishnan remains cautious about claims of achieving immortality. The next few years may determine whether any of these approaches can finally push the limit of human longevity, which has remained unchanged since Jeanne Calment's record.