![]() 7 Some researchers conclude that, for whatever reason, the force of mortality progressively departs from the celebrated Gompertz formula at extreme ages and is almost constant after 105 years (and also nearly invariant with sex, country, and year of birth), while others conclude that the force of mortality continues to rise with age. ![]() 1–6 A detailed analysis of these articles, and explanations for the causes of the disagreements between some of them, was provided in Zak, 2018. Much attention has recently been devoted to the dynamics of mortality in older ages (105 years and older). The phenomenon of Jeanne Calment may prove to be an instructive example of the uncertainty of seemingly well-established facts. Finally I discuss the importance of reconsidering the principles of validation, due to the possibility of similar problems regarding other exceptionally long-lived people and the mistaken inferences that researchers may draw from flawed datasets. I argue that the evidence from these sources motivates renewed consideration of the previously rejected hypothesis that Jeanne's daughter Yvonne acquired her mother's identity after her death to avoid financial problems and that Jeanne Calment's death was reported as Yvonne's death in 1934. Second, I review the literature dedicated to Calment and discuss multiple contradictions in her interviews, biographies, photos, and documents. First, I assess the plausibility of the record based on the life spans of other centenarians in the International Database of Longevity (IDL) and critique some arguments put forward previously in support of that plausibility, including the longevity of Calment's ancestors. I present a body of data that, I argue, cumulatively casts serious doubt on the validity of Jeanne Calment's accepted world record of human life span.
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