X-Message-Number: 2697 From: Ralph Merkle <> Subject: CRYONICS: What Fruit Flies Can Teach Us About Upper Lifespan Limits Date: Fri, 22 Apr 1994 10:33:03 PDT PARC Forum Date: Thursday, April 28, 1994 Time: 4:00 p.m. Place: PARC Auditorium Xerox PARC, 3333 Coyote Hill Road, Palo Alto CA James R. Carey Department of Entomology University of California, Davis WHAT FRUIT FLIES CAN TEACH US ABOUT UPPER LIFESPAN LIMITS Do species possess maximal ages? Is the female advantage in longevity universal? How should we define senescence (the process of becoming old)? This talk will address important conceptual questions pertaining to lifespan limits and bring the results of large scale fruit fly aging studies to bear on the practical question of species-specific life spans, particularly of human lifespan. Lifespan limits refer to two types of age boundaries: (1)the absolute oldest age possible by any human. (For example, it is widely believed that the French woman who recently celebrated her 119th birthday is close to the upper bound of human longevity) (2)the oldest average age that individuals in developed countries such as the U.S. can be expected to attain in a society where health conditions are optimal. It is argued by many gerontologists that 85 years is the natural age of death and is achievable through so-called "successful aging". Indeed, one of the most hotly debated questions in gerontology and demography is whether human life expectancy will continue to increase or whether it is approaching its natural limits in developed countries. ______________________ This Forum is OPEN to the Public. All are invited. For more information contact Steve Harrison at (415) 812-4392 () Refreshments will be served at 3:45 p.m. Requests for videotapes for *Xerox Employees Only* should be sent to Suzie Mulhern (mulhern:PARC:Xerox) . The PARC auditorium is located at 3333 Coyote Hill Road in Palo Alto. We are betwen Page Mill Road (West of Foothill Expressway) and Hillview Avenue, in the Stanford Research Park. From Page Mill Road, turn onto Coyote Hill Road. Drive Up Coyote Hill past the horse pastures; PARC is the only building on the left, just past the crest of the hill. Due to some construction in our main parking lot, please park across the Coyote Hill Road. Cross the street and enter the auditorium at the upper level of the building. The auditorium entrance is located down the stairs and to the left of the main doors from the outside of the building. Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=2697