Genetic versus environmental contributions to geographical differences in life expectancy

Determine the relative contributions of genetic variation and environmental (including societal) factors to regional differences in human life expectancy across the globe.

Background

After reviewing historical increases in life expectancy and modern geographic disparities, the author raises the question of what drives regional differences—genetics, environment, or societal factors—and explicitly notes that it is currently unknown.

Addressing this would link demographic patterns to prene-theoretic perspectives on genes, memes, and cultural-prenes influencing human survival.

References

“Why is life expectancy different in different geographical areas? How much of this is due to genetic differences and how much to environmental differences (including societal differences)? We don't know, but perhaps our current tools will allow us to make progress on such questions.”

— Darwin Turing Dawkins: Building a General Theory of Evolution  (2402.10393 - Adleman, 2024) in Part II: Humans — When do humans die? (following Figure 30)

However, it means that we cannot identify whether our observations are attributable to a causal relationship between place and health.

— Geospatial Foundation Models Capture Health-Relevant Dimensions of Place Beyond Conventional Social Risk Indices  (2609.11689 - Hendrix et al., 10 Sep 2026) in Discussion, paragraph beginning “This study has several limitations”