Scientists have uncovered the genetic secrets behind the extraordinary 117-year life of Maria Branyas Morera, the world’s oldest person until her passing last summer. Her request to be studied after death has now led to groundbreaking research published in Cell Reports Medicine. While her healthy lifestyle contributed to her longevity, scientists found that her unique biology played an even greater role.

117-year-old Maria Branyas Morera had the distinction of being the oldest person in the world before she passed away last summer. One of her final wishes in the twilight of her life was for doctors to study her. “Please study me,” she said to Dr. Manel Esteller, who is the chairman of genetics at the University of Barcelona’s School of Medicine. Now her long-held desire has been fulfilled, and researchers have gained some truly fascinating insights into what contributed to the supercentenarians’ incredibly long lifespan. A resident of Olot, Spain, she had a relatively healthy lifestyle: She ate a normal Mediterranean diet, walked every day up until the early 2000s, never smoked or drank, and had a good social life. While these factors contributed to her good health, the latest research has revealed that the reasons for her extremely long life span went beyond these epigenetic factors; that is to say, Maria had won a stunning genetic lottery at birth.

A number of biological components in her body prevented her from being bogged down by the usual diseases which would otherwise catch up to a person of her age and plague them in the last years of their lie. The tests performed on her involved finding out which genes were switched on or off; the diversity of microbiomes in her gut, the levels of proteins in her blood, and the breakdown products left in her body after reactions.

Source: Financial Express September 25, 2025