What We Learned from Studying the World’s Oldest Living Person
When Maria Branyas Morera passed away at the age of 117, she held the title of the world’s oldest living person. But before her death, she made a simple but profound request: “Please study me.” Scientists honored her wish.
Led by Dr. Manel Esteller at the University of Barcelona, a team of scientists set out to uncover what made Maria such an extraordinary outlier in human aging. They examined her blood, urine, saliva, and stool, hoping to piece together the biological puzzle of her long life.
The study, recently published in Cell Reports Medicine, pointed to several intriguing factors. Some of the answers, it turns out, may lie in her everyday habits. Maria reportedly walked daily well into her 90s, avoided alcohol and tobacco, and followed a healthy diet. She also had a remarkably stable social life, staying close to family and continually building new friendships even as old ones faded.
“She lived a healthy life,” Dr. Esteller said. “She had cells that seemed younger than her age.”
“She was a lucky person from the start, and she got an extra plus through her life. She never smoked, she never drank alcohol, and she liked to work until she could not. She lived in the countryside, she did moderated exercise, mostly walking one hour a day. She had a diet that included olive oil, Mediterranean style and, in her case, yogurt.”
The research team found that Maria’s microbiome, the vast collection of microbes living in and on her body, showed signs of low inflammation. This is significant because chronic inflammation is often associated with aging and disease. Her body also contained high levels of Bifidobacterium, a beneficial bacterium commonly encouraged by fermented foods like yogurt, which she ate three times a day.
Her genetic analysis revealed something even more unusual: variants believed to protect against common age-related conditions such as cardiovascular disease, dementia, and cancer. These genetic factors may have helped shield her from the chronic illnesses that claim most lives long before 100.
Not all scientists agree that genes or gut bacteria can offer a complete explanation. Dr. Mary Armanios, a geneticist and oncologist at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, warned that predicting longevity based on genetic variants remains an unsolved challenge. While some gene patterns may lower disease risk, their effects are still not fully understood.
“The genetics of longevity are notoriously confusing,” she said. Many studies compare centenarians to younger individuals, but as Dr. Armanios pointed out, it’s impossible to know how long those younger people will live, a flaw that limits what such comparisons can reveal.
She also emphasized the critical role of environment and inequality. In Baltimore, she noted, life expectancy can differ by two decades depending on income level and access to education.
“I do think there are obviously bad genetics that limit life span. But I am not sure good genetics are sufficient to overcome socioeconomic limitations.”
Maria’s story isn’t just one of biological good fortune. Born in San Francisco in 1907 to Spanish parents, she returned to Spain with her mother after her father’s early death. She went on to raise three children, outliving one of them, and spent most of her life in the town of Olot.
She lived independently until age 94, and even after moving into a nursing home, she remained active. She continued playing piano until she was around 112. Her family, including daughters now in their 90s, recalls her vitality and independence.
While her relatives died from a range of common causes, including cancer, tuberculosis, heart disease, and accidents, Maria simply kept going. Her lifestyle, social connections, and potential genetic advantages may have combined to create the conditions for an unusually long and healthy life.
Dr. Immaculata De Vivo, a molecular geneticist at Harvard, praised the study as scientifically sound but urged caution. Findings based on a single person, however fascinating, don’t always scale up.
“Disease causation is generally a matter of probabilities rather than absolutes,” she said. In other words, even with the perfect genetic profile and a clean lifestyle, there are no guarantees, only improved odds.
However, Claire Steves, a professor of aging at King’s College London, who wasn’t involved in the study, told CNN, “The level of detail in this paper is extraordinary.”
“They have gone very deep and managed to assess a wide range of different biological aging mechanisms. To my note, this is the first paper that’s ever really done this in this detail.”
Maria Branyas Morera’s life offers researchers a rare window into human longevity. If nothing else, her story reminds us that aging well may be less about hacks and more about consistency of movement, connection, and maybe a little yogurt every day.
Moumita Basuroychowdhury is a Contributing Reporter at The National Digest. After earning an economics degree at Cornell University, she moved to NYC to pursue her MFA in creative writing. She enjoys reporting on science, business and culture news. You can reach her at moumita.b@thenationaldigest.com.
