On December 17th, 2025, The Gerontologist published an article co-authored by AFAR Scientific Director Steven N. Austad, PhD, on the validity of the data of Blue Zones.
The journal article explored how Blue Zones have rigorously validated records of people living healthily into their 90s and 100s, with evidence as reliable as the most meticulous national archives. While some Blue Zones have faded over time, others continue to thrive, and new ones are still being discovered, offering enduring insights into how lifestyle and community can foster longevity.
In addition to being AFAR’s Scientific Director, Dr. Austad is the 2011 Irving S. Wright Award of Distinction winner and the Inaugural George M. Martin Award winner. He is the founding director of UAB’s Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging, and co-director of the UAB Integrative Center for Aging Research, as well as the Co-Principal Investigator of the Nathan Shock Centers Coordinating Center.
Exceptional longevity continues to inspire research: AFAR’s SuperAgers Family Study, led by AFAR in collaboration with the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the Boston University School of Medicine, aims to collect data from a large group of individuals who have lived to age 95 or more. The Study's goal is to understand and uncover the biological factors contributing to healthy aging and exceptional longevity shared among SuperAgers and their families.
Learn more and enroll in the SuperAgers Family Study here.
Read “The validity of Blue Zones demography: a response to critiques” here.
