From a BBC News report:

“Increasing by two years every decade, they show no signs of flattening out. Average lifespan around the world is already double what it was 200 years ago.”

“…The reason behind the steady rise in life expectancy is “the decline in the death rate of the elderly”, says Professor Tom Kirkwood from the Institute of Ageing and Health at Newcastle University.

He has a theory that our bodies are evolving to maintain and repair themselves better and our genes are investing in this process to put off the damage which will eventually lead to death…”

UNLESS

This all sounds v optimistic typed out like this, but at the bottom it needs the word UNLESS followed by some extrapolation on the matter of those who continue to die young. Are all bodies evolving equally? Is anyone evolving into the above mentioned with a less than superb gene pool helping them gallop apace. Discuss.