How long can humans live?

There is a debate that has long excited scientists: is there a limit on how long a healthy human can live?

Back in the 18th century, French naturalist Georges-Louis Leclerc theorised that a person could live for a maximum of 100 years.

Since then, modern medicine and better living conditions have changed things a lot.

A milestone was reached when Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment celebrated her 120th birthday in 1995.

She died two years later at the age of 122. She is the oldest person ever to have lived – that we know of, at least.

There were about 593,000 people aged 100 years or older in 2021. The number of these "centenarians" is expected to double over the next decade.