On Sun, 24 Mar 2002 10:59:00 -0800, Susan Carmack <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Read how long people lived in Biblical times. Methuselah lived until he was
>969.
>We have never been so sick. Babies are dying of cancer, starvation and
>vaccinations in huge numbers. Many of my friends are dead under 50 years
old.


There is a table at

    http://www.beyondveg.com/nicholson-w/angel-1984/angel-1984-1a.shtml

comparing lifespan from Upper Paleolithic to the current era.

The almost doubling of lifespan since 1900 is due to medical technology,
sanitation, and the spreading of wealth. Having access to fresh meat
via refridgerated railway cars from the late 1800's helped too. But
devating from our biologically "optimal" diet doesn't help.

But there doesn't seem to be any way to escape our biological reality
of a maximum lifespan of about 120 years, given the programmed rate
of genetic loss -- until some biotechnology breakthrough.

That the heroes of the bible stories lived so long is due
to fact that the first few books of the Bible were compiled during the
Babylonian exile of the Hebrews, who were influenced by their
flood legends -- written before the bible stories --
that tell of their pre-flood kings living from 18,000 to
65,000 years! Apparently great heroes lived long. Apparently
the Hebrew authors found these lifespans too fantastic and
trimmed them down.

Philip Thrift
http://www.geocities.com/paleofitness