Although it is widely held that infections and eating difficulties are hallmarks of advanced dementia,25 there are few prospective data on the incidence of these complications. Over the course of 18 months, more than half of the residents in our study had infectious episodes, and 86% had eating problems.
So 10 billion people is the uppermost population limit where food is concerned. Because it's extremely unlikely that everyone will agree to stop eating meat, Wilson thinks the maximum carrying capacity of the Earth based on food resources will most likely fall short of 10 billion.
They have argued that this human ability allows food production to grow exponentially, as well. But scholars have recently begun to rethink their dismissal of Malthus' prediction, for several reasons. It seems Earth may have a carrying capacity after all. So are we doomed? How many human beings can the Earth support before resources run low and nature takes over, culling the human herds in order to reestablisÂ­h a sustainable balance?