How Long Can A Human Live? Debate Reignited After Oldest Person Dies

The death of the world's oldest person at the age of 118 has reignited a debate that has divided scientists for centuries: is there a limit on how long a healthy human can live? After French nun Lucile Randon died last week, Spanish great-grandmother Maria Branyas Morera, 115, has assumed the title of the oldest living person, according to Guinness World Records. Back in the 18th century, French naturalist Georges-Louis Leclerc, known as the Comte de Buffon, theorised that a person who had not suffered an accident or illness could live for a theoretical maximum of 100 years. Since then, medical advancements and improving living conditions have pushed the limit back by a couple of decades. A new milestone was reached when Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment celebrated her 120th birthday in 1995. Calment died two years later at the age of 122. She remains the oldest person ever to have lived -- that has been verified, at least. According to the United Nations, there were an estimated 593,000 peopl…