Average life expectancy, 89 years in Monaco and 49 years in Afghanistan[1], is a simple yet very meaningful number. I recently saw a quote about life expectancy and how it has more than doubled since the 1800s.[2] This got me thinking about our evolution and changes we bring to our species through advances in our understanding of the world around us. In 1850, the life expectancy of a white male at birth was 38.3 years and in 2014 life expectancy in the US was estimated to be around 77.5-80 years[3]. That is more than double and makes a very valid statistical argument.

Continue reading →