World's oldest person, Maria Branyas Morera, dies at 117 years old
Maria Branyas Morera, the world's oldest person, has died. She was 117 years old.
Maria Branyas Morera, the oldest person in the world, has died. She was 117 years old.
The supercentenarian, who was born in San Francisco on March 4, 1907, died "peacefully in her sleep" in Olot, Spain, her family announced on her X account on Tuesday (Aug. 20). She died on Monday (Aug. 19), a nursing home employee told The New York Times.
Morera had been a resident at the Residencia Santa Maria del Tura nursing home for the last 20 years. Recently, Morera had told her family that she was beginning to feel weak and knew that her time was coming to a close.
In the translated post she stated that "One day I will leave here. I will not try coffee again, nor eat yogurt, nor pet my dog. I will also leave my memories, my reflections and I will cease to exist in this body. One day I don't know, but it's very close, this long journey will be over."
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In 2023, the Guinness Book of World Records officially announced that Morera was the world's oldest person. She received the title upon the death of Lucile Racon, also known as Sister André, who was 118 years old when she died on Jan. 17, 2023.
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Because of her longevity, Morera captured the attention of the medical community. Researchers who studied her genetic and lifestyle habits determined that she not only had low levels of fat and sugar in her blood, but also that her cells aged more slowly than the average person's, The New York Times reported.
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Now the world's oldest person is 116-year-old Tomiko Itooka, who was born in Japan on May 23, 1908, according to the U.S. Gerontology Group.
Jennifer Nalewicki is former Live Science staff writer and Salt Lake City-based journalist whose work has been featured in The New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, Scientific American, Popular Mechanics and more. She covers several science topics from planet Earth to paleontology and archaeology to health and culture. Prior to freelancing, Jennifer held an Editor role at Time Inc. Jennifer has a bachelor's degree in Journalism from The University of Texas at Austin.