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Today, Tony from the Vientiane International School in Laos asks the scientists about how long we - or our descendants - might live.
Tony: Is it possible for humans to live for 200 years?
EarthSky spoke to an MIT professor of biology who studies the genetic sequence that controls aging. Lenny Guarente said he's skeptical about humans living as long as 200 years. But, he said, new research could help extend our lifespan.
Lenny Guarente: In mammals, which includes us, what we think is the case, is that calorie restriction - a low calorie diet - triggers anti-aging genes better called sirtuins. And that enables us to forestall diseases of aging so we can stay healthier, longer, and perhaps to actually live longer.
Guarente doesn't believe that science could stop aging altogether.
Lenny Guarente: There're just too many things that go wrong in aging, that it would be almost impossible to fix them all at the same time so that you achieve immortality. But I think you can do, as you can achieve something that's better than what we have now.
He said life expectancy could increase anywhere from 10 to 30 years in the not too distant future.
Our thanks today to the Monsanto Fund, bridging the gap between the needs of people around the world and their resources.
I am Joel Block from E&S, a clear