Title: Prospect for extended survival: a critical review of the biological evidence.

POPLINE Document Number: 252229

Author(s):

Olshansky SJ
Carnes BA

Source citation:

In: Health and mortality among elderly populations, edited by Graziella Caselli and Alan D. Lopez. Oxford, England, Clarendon Press, 1996. :39-58.

Abstract:

The authors present a critical review of the logic behind competing estimates of human longevity in an attempt to establish why there are such large differences in estimates of future human life expectancy. They suggest that the study of longevity is an excellent subject for an interdisciplinary approach involving both biologists and demographers. They conclude that low-mortality countries are approaching the upper limits for life expectancy, and that a law of diminishing returns is likely to prevent further significant gains in longevity. (ANNOTATION)

Keywords:

Global
Interdisciplinary Studies
Life Expectancy
Length of Life
Critique
Literature Review
Mortality
Population Dynamics
Demographic Factors
Population