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 towards the supercentenarians’ incredibly long lifespan. A resident of Olot, Spain , she had a relatively healthy lifestyle: She ate a normal Mediterranean diet, walked everyday 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 researc

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