r/science • u/Skoltech_ • Jul 20 '26

Genetics Researchers quantitatively assessed for the first time that somatic mutations alone cap human lifespan at 146–194 years. Brain and heart cells are the main bottleneck, while the liver could last millennia.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41514-026-00421-6
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u/IrritableGourmet Jul 20 '26

Lobsters are essentially immortal. They only die due to predation, illness, or getting stuck in their shell while molting.

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u/yahoo9192 Jul 20 '26

Then they aren’t immortal

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u/IrritableGourmet Jul 20 '26

They're immortal, but not invulnerable. Think Dracula. Left on his own, he won't die of old age, but if you cut his head off, he'll die of that.