The world’s oldest person Maria Branyas Morera has turned 117 today, with scientists hoping the Spanish pensioner can help unlock the secrets to a long life.
Ms Morera was born in San Francisco in 1907 while the city was suffering from a second wave of the Bubonic plague.
The family took the decision to return to Spain in 1915 during the First World War after her father Josep fell ill.
He ended up dying of tuberculosis on the ship they were crossing the Atlantic on, with his now-centenarian daughter injuring herself in a fall during the same voyage and later discovering she had lost her hearing in one ear.
She then went on to survive two world wars, the Spanish flu pandemic, the Spanish Civil War, and most recently Covid-19.
She got the official title of the world’s oldest person following the death of French nun Sister André in January 2023.
Unusually for her age, Ms Morera is an active user of social media site X, formerly Twitter, and regularly gives her 16,000 followers updates on how she is doing.
Today she wrote: ‘Good morning, world. Today I turn 117 years old. I’ve come this far.’
But Ms Morera’s exceptional health at such an age has drawn the attention of scientists to study her body.
Scientist Manel Esteller told Spanish news outlet ABC: ‘She has a completely lucid head.
‘She remembers with impressive clarity events from when she was only four years old, and she does not present any cardiovascular disease, common in elderly people.
‘It is clear that there is a genetic component because there are several members of her family who are over 90 years old.’
In an effort to help others, Ms Morera has agreed to undergo some scientific testing by scientists who hope to learn more about the secrets to a long life.
They have already collected samples of her saliva, blood and urine and will compare them with those of her 80-year-old daughter.
The samples will allow the scientists to study Ms Morera’s genes and help with developing drugs which may fight age-associated diseases.
Ms Morera has three children, 11 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren, attributes her old age to ‘order, tranquility’ and ‘staying away from toxic people’.
She has prioritised living a stress-free existence and lived in sheltered housing in the Catalan town of Olot since she was 92.
She played the piano, read newspapers and exercised every morning until she was 105.
After she won the title of world’s oldest person last year, she posted on Twitter: ‘Sorry for not responding individually.
‘I am surprised and grateful for the expectation generated by the fact that I am the oldest living person in the world.
‘Thank you very much to everyone for the interest shown, although I have not done any merit. These days have been very overwhelming.’
She added she would not be responding to any more journalist requests for interviews, adding she needed ‘peace and tranquility’.
But she underwent a health scare in 2020 after becoming infected with Covid-19 only weeks after celebrating her 113th birthday – but she recovered within days.
It made her the world’s oldest Covid-19 survivor at the time but that record was broken by Sister André later that year.
Her nursing home Residència Santa María del Tura told the Guinness Book of World Records at the time that they would be hosting a ‘small celebration behind closed doors’ to commemorate the achievement.
In December 2022, Ms Morera shared tips on diet and hailed the health benefits of one particular food to her army of followers.
She wrote on X: ‘And a piece of advice, if you’ll allow me. In an age when diets and miracle foods for well-being and health are constantly emerging, it is necessary to rescue yoghurt, a lifelong food with an infinite number of positive properties for the body.’
Yoghurt is a good source of calcium and protein, which is good for bone and muscle health, according to the NHS. But there isn’t any evidence that eating yoghurt will help you live longer.
Ms Morera married Catalan doctor Joan Moret aged 23 in 1931.
The day was an eventful one, Marero recalled on Twitter, as they waited hours for the priest who they later found out had unexpectedly died.
She said: ‘There was no phone. A car had to go down to Girona to look for an available chaplain.
‘At that time, in the entire province of Girona there must have been around 50 cars.’
Her husband died when more than 46 years ago when he was 71.
She wrote on his anniversary that she will ‘always carry him in my heart every day’
In an interview with Catalan daily La Vanguardia in October 2019 she recalled watching TV for the first time on December 15, 1960 when King Baudouin of Belgium married Spanish aristocrat Fabiola de Mora and Aragon.
She also revealed bosses at her retirement home had put her on a diet, although they let her eat a small bit of cake on her birthday.
In another interview around the same time, in which she admitted she had ‘very bad memories’ of the 1936-1939 Spanish Civil War, Ms Morera added: ‘People live differently now to how they used to. Money dominates everything and with money you can get almost everything.’
Ms Morera is considered a ‘supercentenarian’ – a title given to people once they pass 110.
She has seen her parents, three siblings and one of her three children die, as well as her husband who passed away when he was 72.
The title of the oldest person to have ever lived belongs to Jeanne Louise Calment whose life spanned 122 years and 164 days, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
