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Differences in methodology and philosophy have led scientists analyzing the same mortality data to arrive at very different conclusions about the behavior of mortality trajectories, the nature of aging, and the future of human longevity. This note describes the authors'views on these issues, which taken together can be termed a "realist" position. In this view, life expectancy is unlikely to exceed an average of 85 years absent significant advances in the control of aging. We identify a number of myths that have been attached to our work: 1) Reaching an average life expectancy of 85 years is a pessimistic outlook for human longevity, 2) Species possess an intrinsic mortality schedule that cannot be modified by human intervention, 3) Realist scenarios of the future course of human longevity are based on notions of biological determinism, 4) Realists assert that there is an age beyond which there can be no survivors, 5) Hypothesized biological barriers to longer life spans have been scientifically studied and refuted, and 6) Realists claim that life expectancy at birth cannot exceed 85 years. In dispelling these myths, we hope to provide a more accurate representation of our school of biodemographic thought.

The life span of individuals and the life expectancy of the populations they comprise have always been topics of interest to scientists and the lay population. In modern times, forecasts of life span and life expectancy have become particularly important public policy issues because of their influence on the future solvency of age‐entitlement programs. The authors present a brief discussion of the origin of the notion of life span, discuss its relevance and importance in light of recent developments in the emerging field of the biodemography of aging, and explore the theoretical and biological forces that influence the duration of life of sexually reproducing species.

Context: The aging of the baby boom generation, the extension of life, and progressive increases in disability-free life expectancy have generated a dramatic demographic transition in the United States. Official government forecasts may, however, have inadvertently underestimated life expectancy, which would have major policy implications, since small differences in forecasts of life expectancy produce very large differences in the number of people surviving to an older age. This article presents a new set of population and life expectancy forecasts for the United States, focusing on transitions that will take place by midcentury.

Multiple interventions in the aging process have been discovered to extend the healthspan of model organisms. Both industry and academia are therefore exploring possible transformative molecules that target aging and age‐associated diseases. In this overview, we summarize the presented talks and discussion points of the 5th Annual Aging and Drug Discovery Forum 2018 in Basel, Switzerland. Here academia and industry came together, to discuss the latest progress and issues in aging research. The meeting covered talks about the mechanistic cause of aging, how longevity signatures may be highly conserved, emerging biomarkers of aging, possible interventions in the aging process and the use of artificial intelligence for aging research and drug discovery. Importantly, a consensus is emerging both in industry and academia, that molecules able to intervene in the aging process may contain the potential to transform both societies and healthcare ; DB is supported by the German Research Foundation (Forschungsstipendium; BA 6276/1-1). CYE is supported by Swiss National Science Foundation [163898]. VNG is supported by grants from National Institutes of Health, and by the Russian Federation grant 14.W03.31.0012. DWL presented the results of research supported in part by research grants and funds from the National Institutes of Health, the Wisconsin Partnership Program, the Progeria Research Foundation, the American Federation for Aging Research, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health and Department of Medicine, as well as the facilities and resources of the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH. This work does not represent the views of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States Government. MSL is supported by an LUMC research fellowship and a VIDI grant from the Netherlands scientific organization (NWO- ALW-016.161.320). A.M.-M. is supported by grants from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III co-funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III and FEdeR (CP14/00105 and PI15/00134). SM was supported by the FWO-OP/Odysseus program (42/FA010100/32/6484). SJO's current work is funded by The Glenn Award from the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research. MR is supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation and the European Union Horizon 2020 program. MSK is supported by grants from the Danish Cancer Society (#R167-A11015_001), the Independent Research Fund Denmark (#7016- 00230B) and the Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF17OC0027812). ; Peer reviewed