Bernard Jeune - Böcker

In contrast to previous assertions about a ceiling on the human lifespan, evidence presented in this book suggests that lifespan records in specific countries and globally will be broken again and again as more people survive to become supercentenarians.

Does human mortality after age 110 continue to rise, level off, or start to decline? The sixteen chapters of this book discuss age validation of exceptional longevity, data on supercentenarians in a series of countries, structure and contents of the IDL, and statistical analysis of human mortality after age 110.

Does human mortality after age 110 continue to rise, level off, or start to decline? This book describes a concerted, international research effort undertaken with the goal of establishing a database that allows the best possible description of the mortality trajectory beyond the age of 110. The International Database on Longevity (IDL) is the result of this ongoing effort. The IDL contains exhaustive information on validated cases of supercentenarians (people 110 years and older) and allows unbiased estimates of mortality after age 110. The main finding is remarkable: human mortality after age 110 is flat at a probability of death of 50% per year. The sixteen chapters of this book discuss age validation of exceptional longevity, data on supercentenarians in a series of countries, structure and contents of the IDL, and statistical analysis of human mortality after age 110. Several chapters include short accounts of specific supercentenarians that add life to demographic research.

Why longevity? For a number of years, the Fondation IPSEN has been devoting considerable effort to the various aspects of ageing, not only to age-related diseases such as Alzheimer's, but also to the Centenarians, the paragon of positive ageing. The logical continuation of this approach is to address the question of longevity in global terms. Behind the extreme values, what span is accessible to all of us and likely to directly concern most of our contemporaries? The individual and col­ lective increase in the duration of life is one of the most striking phenomena of our time. It could be one of the most significant events in the "bio-social" history of humanity. The increase in life expectancy at old age, which started a few de­ cades ago only, is going on. The most well-advised observer had not foreseen or even dared hope for this increase which will drastically affect our everyday life, our habits and our behavior. In the fragment of human history we are living in, it is our responsibility to deal with this major transformation for the species. Such a transformation needs an effort from all to adapt to the new conditions. This transformation has to be managed rather than simply experienced, anticip­ ated rather than followed, in order to avoid any attempt to pervert this major step forward. All that was present during the first symposium of the new series on longevity of the Colloques Medecine et Recherche convened by the Fondation IPSEN.