The number of people living past 100 has soared by 71 per cent in the past decade. And while one expert believes this figure will continue to rise, he stated that anyone hoping to live for double or triple this time will be disappointed. Speaking at a gerontology conference, Professor Sir Colin Blakemore, 70, a British neurobiologist and was formerly chief executive of the British Medical Research Council, claimed there is a ceiling on how long humans can live, and 120 years ‘might be a real absolute limit to human lifespan.’

过去十年，寿命达到100岁以上的老人数量激增71%。仅管专家表示这一数字还将继续上升，但是希望活到200甚至300岁的人们恐怕要失望了。70岁的英国神经生物学家、英国医学研究委员会前任主席柯林·布雷克莫尔近期在一个老年医学会议上提出，人类寿命是有上限的，而120岁“很可能就是这个上限”。

A panel of gerontologists and scientists discussed the future of medicine, global health concerns and life expectancy. It agreed that medicines will have a limited effect on extending human life, and it was more important to improve the health and quality of life for older people, rather than prolonging it. The panel also stated it was key to improve the life expectancy in poorer regions, or areas where people typically die much younger than other areas.

老年医学家和科学家们探讨了药物的未来，环球健康隐忧和人类寿命等问题。无疑，药物对于延长人类寿命的影响是有限的，对于老年人来说，与其延长寿命，不如改善健康情况，提升生活质量。小组成员同样认为，贫困地区老人寿命通常较短，提升他们的寿命长度也刻不容缓。

The 2014 Global Age Watch Index, which ranks 96 nations on the quality of life for the elderly, recently stated that by 2050, the number of over 60s will be 21 per cent of the global population. This is almost double the current figure of 12 per cent. The proportion of over-80s is growing fastest, too – projected to rise from two per cent now to four per cent of the global population by 2050.

2014全球年龄指数衡量了96个国家的老年人生活质量。结果表明，到2050年，60岁以上人群将占据全球人口的21%，比起当下的12%来说是成倍的增长。而80岁以上的老人数量也将急剧增长，从目前的2%上升到4%。

 

 

While it could take years of research to extend humans’ lives in the same way, the study raises the prospect of anti-ageing treatments informed by genetic interactions, according to Dr Kapahi. ‘In the early years, cancer researchers focused on mutations in single genes, but then it became apparent that different mutations in a class of genes were driving the disease process,’ he said.

研究如何延长人类寿命并非易事，然而卡帕利博士的研究表明可以通过基因作用提高抗老化治疗的可能性。“今年，癌症研究者注重单一基因的突变性，但是很明显，同类基因的突变是导致病情加重的原因。”

The research, reported in the journal Cell Reports, involved blocking key molecules that affect the action of insulin and a nutrient signalling pathway called Target of Rapamycin (TOR). Single mutations in the TOR pathway were known to extend the lifespan of C. elegans by 30 per cent, while insulin-signalling mutations could double the amount of time they lived.

医学期刊报道称，有研究专门针对影响胰岛素和营养物质的关键分子，即对雷帕霉素标靶（以下称TOR）的抑制。TOR的单一变异可以将线虫生命延长30%，而以胰岛素为标志的变异可以将寿命延长一倍。

Adding the two together might have been expected to extend longevity by 130 per cent, but the combined impact turned out to be much greater. The research may explain why it has proved so difficult to identify single genes responsible for the long lives enjoyed by humans. ‘It's quite probable that interactions between genes are critical in those fortunate enough to live very long, healthy lives,’ said Dr Kapahi. Future research is expected to use mice to see if the same effects occur in mammals.

而将两者结合可以讲人类寿命提升130%，但是两者若实际结合，其效力将不可预估。研究同样解释了判断长寿秘诀的单一基因的困难性，“这些基因之间的互相作用对于长寿、健康来说都有可能是至关重要的。”卡帕利博士说道。而未来的研究将实验于小白鼠，以验证它对哺乳动物的作用。