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Morbid: Debunking Modern Longevity Science

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Re: Morbid: Debunking Modern Longevity Science

#3

Post by claytongulick »

I can't find it, but I read an article somewhere that many "blue zones" also had grossly skewed metrics due to public benefits fraud - relatives weren't reporting the family member's death so that they could continue to collect benefits checks.

The author claimed that once you corrected for this, the blue zones pretty much all disappeared.

Edit: found it [1]

[1] https://fortune.com/europe/2024/12/14/are-blue-zones-myth-ex...

Re: Morbid: Debunking Modern Longevity Science

#4

Post by zeristor »

claytongulick wrote: post #3

I can't find it, but I read an article somewhere that many "blue zones" also had grossly skewed metrics due to public benefits fraud - relatives weren't reporting the family member's death so that they could continue to collect benefits checks. The author claimed that once you corrected for this, the blue zones pretty much all disappeared. Edit: found it [1] [1] https://fortune.com/europe/2024/12/14/are-blue-zones-my…

Yes, I read that too.

Frustratingly recent blue zone fans haven’t mentioned this deep critique.

Re: Morbid: Debunking Modern Longevity Science

#5

Post by cyberax »

claytongulick wrote: post #3

I can't find it, but I read an article somewhere that many "blue zones" also had grossly skewed metrics due to public benefits fraud - relatives weren't reporting the family member's death so that they could continue to collect benefits checks. The author claimed that once you corrected for this, the blue zones pretty much all disappeared. Edit: found it [1] [1] https://fortune.com/europe/2024/12/14/are-blue-zones-my…

Ah, "the secret to longevity is pension fraud and poor record keeping".

Re: Morbid: Debunking Modern Longevity Science

#7

Post by joe_the_user »

I think the wikipedia page on Jeanne Calment actually does a good job of debunking "revisionist" doubting of the record.

After consulting several experts, The Washington Post wrote that "statistically improbable is not the same thing as statistically impossible", that Novoselov and Zak's claims have been dismissed by the overwhelming majority of experts, and that those claims are "lacking, if not outright deficient". (the entire section is worth reading) [1]

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_Calment#Controversy_reg...

Re: Morbid: Debunking Modern Longevity Science

#8

Post by arjie »

The same thing has happened to this thing as happened to UFOs, cryptids, and religious miracles. The arrival of documentary techniques of the things led to a massive decline. People often bemoan the effect of the smartphone on attention. But have they considered the deleterious effect of 5G on magic?

Re: Morbid: Debunking Modern Longevity Science

#9

Post by zeristor »

claytongulick wrote: post #3

I can't find it, but I read an article somewhere that many "blue zones" also had grossly skewed metrics due to public benefits fraud - relatives weren't reporting the family member's death so that they could continue to collect benefits checks. The author claimed that once you corrected for this, the blue zones pretty much all disappeared. Edit: found it [1] [1] https://fortune.com/europe/2024/12/14/are-blue-zones-my…

“UCL demographer’s work debunking ‘Blue Zone’ regions of exceptional lifespans wins Ig Nobel prize”

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/news/2024/sep/ucl-demographers-wor...

“Supercentenarian and remarkable age records exhibit patterns indicative of clerical errors and pension fraud”

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/704080v3

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