Maria Branyas Morera’s life was simple. She enjoyed yogurt, gardening, sleep, books, walks, friends, playing the piano and dogs.

But her lifespan was remarkable - and also inscrutable. When she died last year, aged 117 and still in relatively good health, she was the oldest person on Earth. But how? What was there about a quiet mother in Catalonia, Spain, that made this extreme longevity possible?

A new study published recently in Cell Reports Medicine provides some intriguing clues. In one of the most thorough examinations yet of a supercentenarian (someone who lives to be at least 110), the authors closely investigated Morera’s genes, immune system, cell function, cell age, microbiome, diet, disease biomarkers and other facets of her lifestyle and physiology - with her cooperation - an

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