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Longevity is long life or existence. Reflections on longevity have usually gone beyond acknowledging the basic shortness of human life and included thinking about, and conceiving, methods to extend life (indefinitely). Longevity has been a topic not only for the scientific community but also for writers of travel, science fiction and utopian novels. The record human lifespan that has been authenticated is the 122 years 164 days of Jeanne Calment, though fiction, legend, and mythology have proposed or claimed vastly longer lifespans in the past or future and longevity myths frequently allege them to exist in the present.Different people have different lifestyles. But it appears that it matters most where in the world (rather than how) you live. Health care and hygiene seem to influence life expectancy more than any other factor (from the CIA World Fact Book):
- First World: 77-81 years
- Second World: 65-77 years
- Third World: 35-60 years
Tobacco smoking is generally accepted to significantly affect longevity, and is one of the main statistical factors explaining differences in life expectancy between advanced nations. This may be offset by other factors; Japan, a country with a high rate of tobacco consumption, has the highest life expectancy in the world (80.91 years, CIA Fact Book 2002). Hong Kong, a dense 7 million people city with constant stress, follows Japan closely (79.8 years, CIA Fact Book 2002).
Food and lifestyle make rather a small difference (all from CIA World Fact Book 2002):
- USA: 77.4 years
- UK: 77.99 years
- Germany: 77.78 years
- France: 79.05 years
- Italy: 79.25 years
- AustraliaAustralia is the sixth-largest country in the world (geographically), the only one to occupy an entire continent, and the largest in the region of Australasia. Australia includes the island of Tasmania, which is an Australian State. Its neighbouring count: 80 years
It is believed by some that life expectancy in First World countries will have risen to 100 years by 2030, and to 120 years by 2060. However, the mainstream view (such as the US Census Bureau) is that life expectancy will be in the mid-80s by the year 2050 (up from 77 today) and top out eventually in the low 90s, barring major scientific advances that can change the rate of human aging itself, as opposed to merely treating the effects of aging as is done today. The Census Bureau also predicted that the USA would have 5.3 million people aged over 100 in 2100.
1 Longevity in fiction
- James HiltonJames Hilton ( 1900- 1954) was a popular English novelist of the first half of the 20th century. Hilton was born in Lancashire, England, and found literary success at an early age, his first novel, Catherine Herself having been published in 1920. Several: Lost HorizonThis article is about the novel. For the band, see Lost Horizon (band). Lost Horizon is a fantasy adventure novel by James Hilton. Hugh Conway, a veteran member of the British diplomatic service, finds inner peace, love, and a sense of purpose in Shangri-
- P.D. James: The Children of MenThe Children of Men ( 1992) is a dystopian novel by P. James set in England in 2021. It is based on a simple yet gruesome and thought-provoking idea: What would happen if, over night, women all over the world stopped becoming pregnant? What would happen i
- James L. HalperinHalperin is the author of The Truth Machine ( 1996). He was born and raised in Massachusetts, attended Harvard and settled in Dallas, Texas. He also directs the world's largest rare coin company.: The Truth MachineThe Truth Machine ( 1996), science fiction novel by James L. Halperin about a genius who invents an infallible lie detector. Soon, every citizen must pass a thorough test under a Truth Machine to get a job or receive any sort of license. Eventually, peopl
- John WyndhamJohn Wyndham ( July 10, 1903 March 11, 1969) was the pen name used by the apocalyptically oriented British science fiction writer John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris . Introduction In his earlier writings, Wyndham used various combinations of his name: Trouble with Lichen
- Robert A. Heinlein: Time Enough for Love, Methuselah's Children, and others.
- Arthur C. Clarke:
- David Brin & Gregory Benford: Heart of the Comet
- Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy
- Roger Zelazny: This Immortal
- J. K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (The Philosopher's Stone and Nicholas Flamel)
- J. R. R. Tolkien: The Lord of the Rings ( Aragorn, Bilbo and Gollum)
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