Challenging the Myth of Blue Zones: A Researcher’s Controversial Findings on Longevity

The Australia Letter

The Australia Letter is a weekly newsletter from our Australia bureau. This week’s issue is crafted by Julia Bergin.

Five years ago, Saul Newman, a postdoctoral researcher at the Australian National University in Canberra, embarked on a journey that he believed would revolutionize our understanding of longevity. His research focused on the so-called “blue zones” — regions like Okinawa in Japan and Sardinia in Italy, where residents reportedly enjoy remarkably long and healthy lives. These locations have long fascinated scientists, health enthusiasts, and the general public alike, inspiring everything from envy to dietary trends. Numerous researchers have dedicated their efforts to unraveling the mystery behind why some individuals thrive well beyond the age of 100.

However, Dr. Newman’s findings took a surprising turn. Instead of uncovering a hidden secret to longevity, he arrived at a controversial conclusion: blue zones may not exist in the way many people believe. His investigation revealed that in these regions, poor record-keeping regarding vital statistics — such as births and deaths — has cast doubt on previous claims suggesting that their populations enjoy unusually extended lifespans.

Despite his intriguing revelations, Dr. Newman struggled to gain traction within the scientific community. His paper remains unpublished and has not undergone peer review, a situation he attributes to the “rather obvious reason” that it challenges a substantial body of existing demographic research, which he deems “bunk.” He lamented, “In a sign of the levels of gatekeeping that are ongoing, I am currently attempting to overcome nine peer reviewers at a public health journal. It’s been spectacularly ignored,” he added, now working at the Institute of Population Aging at Oxford University.

Yet, a shift in visibility may be on the horizon for Dr. Newman. On Thursday, he was honored as one of ten individuals and teams awarded an Ig Nobel Prize at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), located near Boston. The Ig Nobel Prizes, initiated in 1991 by Marc Abrahams, the editor of the magazine Annals of Improbable Research, celebrate “achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think.”

This year’s cohort of winners also included a decades-old study conducted by the influential American psychologist Burrhus Frederic Skinner, who passed away in 1990. His research examined whether pigeons could guide missiles in a kamikaze-style maneuver, to which the U.S. Army responded with a definitive “yes.” His daughter, Julie Skinner Vargas, graciously accepted the award on his behalf, expressing relief that her father’s “most important contribution” to science had finally received the recognition it deserved.