Xi Jinping Singgung Long Life, Can Humans Really Live Up To 150 Years?

JAKARTA - An unexpected moment occurred in Beijing when Russian President Vladimir Putin was side by side with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday, August 3, 2025. An accidental microphone caught their conversation about organ transplantation and the possibility that humans could live up to 150 years.

The conversation took place as the two walked with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, leading a group of more than 20 foreign leaders who attended a military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

The moment was recorded in a live CCTV broadcast, Chinese state television, which was also shared with international media including AP and Reuters. The parade was reportedly watched 1.9 billion times online and more than 400 million times on television.

"The biotechnology continues to develop. The human organs can continue to be transplanted. The longer it lives, the younger it is, the more infinite it reaches," said Putin's translator, who was heard in the recording using Mandarin, as quoted from the Reuters page.

"There are those who predict that this century humans can live up to 150 years," Xi said.

Xi's statement about the age of 150 turned out to be not just speculation. A study published in Nature Communications in May 2021 states that the maximum human age limit is in the range of 120 to 150 years.

Quoted from the Scientific American page, this research was carried out by a team of scientists from the biotechnology company Gero. They analyze health data from thousands of people in the US, UK, and Russia by measuring changes in the number of blood cells and the number of daily steps by age.

The results show that with age, the body is able to return to a stable condition after experiencing decreased disorders. In the end, the immune system will completely disappear in the age range of 120150 years.

"This team asked, 'How long can a human body system last if everything goes well, under stressless conditions?' The results show a speed of aging that determines the human life limit," said Heather Whitson, director of Duke University Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, who was not involved in this study.

In comparison, the oldest human being ever recorded was Jeanne Calment from France who died in 1997 at the age of 122. Research also found an important turning point at the age of 35'40.

"We saw a sharp change at that age," said Timothy Pyrkov, lead researcher.

He gave an example of many careers of professional athletes ending in that age range, a sign of significant physiological changes.

Although the chances of living up to 150 years sound amazing, experts warn that longevity doesn't mean life is of quality.

"The focus is not only on living longer, but living longer in good health," said S. Jay Olshansky, professor of epidemiology from the University of Illinois, Chicago.

"Death is not the only thing that matters. Loss of quality of life is also very meaningful," Whitson added.

According to researcher and founder of Gero, Peter Fedichev, this research is just the beginning of the trip.

"Measuring something is the first step before it can intervene. After knowing the speed of aging, the next stage is to find ways to stop the loss of endurance." he explained.

In other words, although irreversibility is still a discourse, both the conversations of world leaders and the results of scientific research show that the hope of a longer and healthier life remains open.