Short answers, pulled from the story.
Human remains from the early Bronze Age indicate a life expectancy of 24 years. This statistic is heavily skewed by high mortality rates of infants and young children. Those who survived early childhood often lived into their 50s or 60s.
Jeanne Calment lived the longest verified lifespan for any human at 122 years and 164 days. She passed away on the 4th of August 1997 after living from the 21st of February 1875. Her life span represents the upper boundary of human existence.
During the 20th century, the average lifespan in the United States increased by more than 30 years. Twenty-five years of that gain was attributed to advances in public health rather than medical treatments for the elderly. This shift began in the 19th century when recorded deaths among children under the age of 5 years in London fell from 74.5% to 31.8%.
Modern female human life expectancy is greater than that of males due to a combination of biological and environmental factors. Men have historically consumed more tobacco, alcohol, and drugs, and are more likely to die from injuries or suicide. The unguarded X hypothesis suggests that the Y chromosome in males cannot protect an individual from harmful genes expressed on the X chromosome.
The study of the Chinese emperors from the first Qin Dynasty to the last Qing Dynasty found an average life expectancy of 41.3 years. This is much lower than that of Buddhist monks at 66.9 years and traditional Chinese doctors at 75.1 years. Wealth and power do not necessarily translate to longevity.
The heritability of lifespan is estimated to be less than 10%, meaning the majority of variation is attributable to differences in environment. Researchers have identified 12 genetic loci which influenced lifespan by modifying susceptibility to cardiovascular and smoking-related disease. The environment remains the primary determinant of how long a person lives.