On October 15, 2025, the Paraninfo of the University of Salamanca will host a new session of the cycle Conversations in Salamanca: Understanding Longevity. This time, the spotlight will be on Michel Poulain, one of the leading figures in international research on ageing and longevity, who will present and engage with the audience around a now universal concept: the Blue Zones. The session will be moderated by journalist and writer Jesús Ruiz Mantilla, who will provide the cultural and narrative framework for the event.
Longevity as a challenge and opportunity
The Conversations in Salamanca cycle was born with a clear purpose: to open spaces for dialogue in which longevity is understood in all its complexity, beyond biomedical or demographic data. It is a global phenomenon that challenges our societies and demands to be thought through from multiple perspectives: how we live, the relationships we nurture, the economic conditions we sustain, and the policies that shape our life paths.
With this conviction, CENIE (International Centre on Ageing) has turned these conversations into a laboratory of shared ideas, bringing to the public voices that shape the international debate. From renowned scientists to thinkers, writers, and economists, all contribute to placing longevity at the heart of social, cultural, and political discourse.
Michel Poulain: from the stars to the centenarians
Michel Poulain began his career in astrophysics but soon turned his gaze toward life on Earth, dedicating himself to the study of demography and, in particular, to those who defy time: centenarians. Since 1992, he has actively participated in international research on longevity, validating the ages of supercentenarians, coordinating databases, and chairing key scientific associations. His work has made him a global reference.
The year 2000 marked a turning point in his career: together with Gianni Pes, he identified the first Blue Zone in Sardinia, a territory where exceptional longevity was not an isolated case but a reality shared by the community. Later, his research extended to other parts of the world such as Okinawa, Costa Rica, and Loma Linda, mapping out a network that now inspires both science and popular culture.
Currently, as Emeritus Professor at the Catholic University of Louvain and Senior Researcher at Tallinn University, Poulain leads the Living Blue Zone programme, which seeks to transfer the lessons learned in those regions to urban and industrialised societies, demonstrating that the keys to longevity can be integrated into our daily lives.
Blue Zones: keys to a long and fulfilling life
The so-called Blue Zones have shown that longevity is not a matter of chance. In these regions, the combination of healthy habits, balanced nutrition, moderate physical activity, strong community ties, and a shared sense of purpose has enabled many people to live beyond one hundred years with enviable quality of life.
Their message is clear: beyond medical or technological advances, what truly sustains long and fulfilling lives are the collective and individual conditions that promote health, cohesion, and well-being. Learning from these communities does not mean copying them, but understanding their foundations to design societies where ageing is synonymous with inclusion and opportunity.
The conversation will be moderated by Jesús Ruiz Mantilla, a writer and journalist with a long career at El País, author of novels, essays, and cultural chronicles. His style, which blends journalistic sharpness with narrative sensitivity, will enrich the dialogue with Poulain, offering the audience a close and stimulating approach to the major themes of longevity.
A shared commitment
With this new chapter, CENIE reinforces its commitment to bringing longevity closer to society, understood as a phenomenon that spans all generations and presents both challenges and opportunities. Conversations in Salamanca: Understanding Longevity is not just a lecture series: it is a space for collective reflection, where science and culture intertwine to inspire changes in how we live and in our individual and collective decisions.
The meeting with Michel Poulain invites us to look at longevity with awareness and hope. Because in those communities that live longer and better, we find not only clues on how to extend life, but also essential insights on how to give it meaning.
This initiative is part of the New Long-Lived Societies Project, aligned with the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), through the Interreg Spain-Portugal Programme (POCTEP), 2021–2027.
Date and venue: October 15, 2025, 11:00 AM. Paraninfo of the University of Salamanca.