Life span

The maximum age that human beings could reach under optimum conditions.
Estimated at 100 years by Buffon at the end of the 18th century, maximum life span has since been extended to 105, 110, 115 years, etc., rising each time the previous limit is exceeded. The record is held by a Frenchwoman, Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 at the age of 122. Her dates of birth and death are authenticated by the official registers.