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Isn't there a natural limit to how long humans can live?

Without medical intervention, yes. In the wild, our ancestors usually died from external causes long before age-related physical decline could set in. Natural selection therefore had little reason to perfect our body's own repair mechanisms beyond the level required for reproduction and for raising the next generation. The result is a body that comes, so to speak, with a built-in warranty period.

But a warranty does not determine how long a machine can actually last. Take a hundred-year-old vintage car. It may originally have been designed to last ten or fifteen years. It has survived an entire century only thanks to comprehensive and regular maintenance. A mechanic simply removes the rust and replaces the worn parts before the engine fails.

The human body is far more complex, but ultimately it is a machine too. By developing biotechnologies that complement our imperfect self-repair, we can exceed our original warranty period. There is no law of physics or biology that prevents us from maintaining our bodies indefinitely.

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