Professor Brian Cox and our expert panel explore ageing, longevity and the science behind our lifespans.
Human life expectancy has increased steadily over the last 200 years, but we may be reaching a ceiling. Is this our biological limit, or could the next big scientific breakthrough push it even further? Might repurposing existing drugs help extend our lifespans? Our panel of researchers answers audience questions about the societal impacts of longer lives, our cellular ticking clock, and whether we can learn anything from the 400-year-old sharks of the North Atlantic.
Panellists
- Lynne Cox – Associate Professor, University of Oxford
- Paul Nurse – Director, Francis Crick Institute
- Linda Partridge – Professor, Institute of Healthy Ageing, UCL
- Andrew Steele – Author of Ageless: The New Science of Getting Older Without Getting Old
Watch the video version of this episode and read a transcript on our website: www.crick.ac.uk/podcast/ageing
If you have a follow up question about any of the episodes in the series, email us: aquestionofscience@bbc.co.uk
A BBC Studios Production for the Francis Crick Institute
Music by John Biddle
© BBC Studios / Francis Crick Institute 2025
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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