Hosted by Lester Nare and Krishna Choudhary, this story examines a major international study published in PNAS suggesting human life expectancy may have plateaued for cohorts born after 1939. We trace the “longevity revolution” driven by vaccines, antibiotics, and sanitation, then unpack why new data indicates we may be hitting biological and societal limits.

Summary

• Headline: generations born after 1939 unlikely to reach 100

• Collaboration: Max Planck Institute, INED (France), UW–Madison

• How we measure life expectancy: period vs. cohort

• Six independent models + historical validation show a plateau

• Low-hanging fruit solved; remaining hurdles: cancer, neurodegeneration

• Policy ripple effects: pensions, retirement age, social security

• Equity concerns: impacts fall hardest on lower-income workers

Show Notes

• PNAS — Longevity Plateau Study

• The Independent — Coverage