Has the maximum lifespan for a human already been reached? Maybe not, according to a study of Italian centenarians published on Thursday June 28th that found that human longevity is slowly increasing. Scientists have long debated whether or not the ultimate lifespan in people has been attained. A 2016 study in the journal Nature argued that it has, in 1997, when Frenchwoman Jeanne Calmant died at the record-breaking age of 122.

But the new findings in the journal Science point to the possibility for extended human longevity, and that our species' lifespans may increase over time. Based on data from more than 3,800 centenarians in Italy, researchers found the risk of death slows, and even plateaus, above age 105.