Late-life mortality plateaus through error, not evolution

Abstract

This study highlights how the mortality plateau in Barbi et al. [1] can be generated by low frequency, randomly distributed age misreporting errors. Furthermore, sensitivity of the late-life mortality plateau in Barbi et al. [1] to the particular age range selected for regression is illustrated. Collectively, the simulation of age misreporting errors in late-life human mortality data and a less specific model choice than that of Barbi et al. [1] highlight a clear alternative hypothesis to the cessation of ageing.