Key points:

• Researchers analyzed data on thousands of people in Netherlands to determine maximum lifespan.
• Focus was on individuals who lived long, healthy lives, not average life expectancy.
• Study suggests a plateau in maximum lifespan, with women potentially reaching 115.7 years and men 114.1 years.
• This limit hasn’t changed in recent decades, despite rising average life expectancy.
• However, exceptions like the recently deceased 118-year-old French nun show some people might exceed this limit.

Overall:

This study suggests a potential limit to how long humans can live. However, individual cases show the possibility of exceeding this limit, leaving room for further research and debate.