Scientists say humans could live up to 156 years in lifespan breakthrough

• Scientists say humans may have the potential to live up to 156 years, according to a new study published in npj Aging.

• The research points to somatic mutations (DNA damage that builds up over time) as one major factor limiting human lifespan.

• Experts say the brain and heart are the biggest challenge because their cells do not regenerate easily.

• There is currently no treatment to achieve such a lifespan, but healthy habits like not smoking, exercising, eating well and managing blood pressure can still help people live longer and healthier lives.

For years, scientists believed the maximum human lifespan was around 122 years. That figure came from the oldest verified person ever recorded, Jeanne Calment of France, who lived to be 122.

But a new study is challenging that long-held belief, suggesting humans might actually be capable of living up to 156 years under the right biological conditions.

Before you start planning for your 150th birthday, though, researchers say there's a big catch.

Scientists from Russia, Evgeniy Efimov, Vlad Fedotov, and Leonid Malaev, published their findings in the journal npj Aging in July 2026 after studying human DNA and how the body ages over time.

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Their research focused on something called somatic mutations—tiny changes that happen in our cells throughout life.

These mutations build up naturally because of things like environmental exposure and mistakes that happen when DNA copies itself. Over the years, the damage piles up and contributes to aging.

According to the researchers, if the effects of these mutations could somehow be removed or repaired, the average human body may be capable of surviving for as long as 156 years.

That doesn't mean someone will suddenly live that long tomorrow.

In fact, there is currently no treatment that can reverse the damage caused by somatic mutations inside human cells.

Some parts of the body, like the liver, can replace damaged cells fairly well.

The brain and the heart are a different story.

The cells that make up these organs, neurons in the brain and cardiomyocytes in the heart, don't easily regenerate after they're damaged.

That's one reason diseases like dementia and heart failure remain among the biggest killers worldwide.

Jordan Weiss, an assistant professor and aging researcher at New York University's Grossman School of Medicine, explained why this matters.

"The conditions that cost people their independent, healthy years, such as dementia and heart failure, fall heavily on precisely the tissues that cannot regenerate. So the gap between how long people live and how long they stay well is not one general breakdown of the body. It is concentrated in the organs that have no way to replace worn-out cells."

The researchers also admitted that somatic mutations aren't the only reason people age.

Other biological processes, including mitochondrial dysfunction, epigenetic drift, telomere shortening and loss of proteostasis, also play important roles.

Regenerative medicine researcher Egle Pavyde said the study mainly helps scientists better understand one important piece of the puzzle.

"It proves that DNA damage accumulating in our cells is one of the reasons we cannot live indefinitely but also shows that our bodies are complex systems and that it is only one piece of a much larger puzzle."

The findings could encourage more research into treatments that repair or prevent DNA damage in organs that cannot regenerate.

Weiss believes this should be the main focus going forward.

"If renewable organs already tolerate decades of DNA damage without much trouble, there is little to gain from protecting them further. The harder and more valuable problem is preserving the DNA of brain and heart cells."

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Although a 156-year lifespan remains theoretical, health experts say people can already improve their chances of living longer through everyday habits.

According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), avoiding smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, sleeping well, getting recommended vaccines, attending routine cancer screenings, and controlling blood pressure and cholesterol can significantly improve both lifespan and overall health.

Luigi Ferrucci, scientific director of the NIH's National Institute on Aging, summed it up this way:

"People have demonstrated that if you do these things, which are all feasible, you can increase your life expectancy by 10 years. We don't need a magic pill. The magic pill is already here."

For now, scientists aren't saying humans have found the secret to living for 156 years. Instead, the study offers a new way of thinking about aging and where future medical breakthroughs could happen.

If those breakthroughs eventually come, Nigerians may have to start preparing for much longer retirements, and perhaps even a second or third career.