On Elder Life Expectancy
(From the Harvard University Gazette). Life expectancy statistics can provide a number of apparently counterintuitive points; for all it appears a straightforward enough concept, it is not: "Life expectancy in this country has been rising steeply since 1990, and the National Center for Heath Statistics concludes that the older you are today, the greater the age you are likely to reach. Men and women who make it to age 75 in 2006 can expect to still be around in 2016 and 2017, respectively. At age 85, the odds are good that you'll reach 91. ... people who study aging trends believe that life expectancies for the old will continue to grow longer. The main reason is that the three biggest killers of older people - heart disease, cancer, and stroke - are being treated more successfully." These are the results of the first impact of modern biotechnology on therapeutics. It can get much, much better - if the funding is there for directed research into repairing the cellular damage that causes age-related degeneration.
Link: http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2006/07.20/10-deathquiz.html