Spaniard Maria Brañas Morera, the oldest living woman in the world, celebrated her 117th birthday. She was born on March 4, 1907 in San Francisco, America, but at the age of eight she moved to Catalonia. MIR 24 reports this.

The record holder has been living in a nursing home for the last 23 years. The title from the Guinness Book of Records passed to her in January 2023 after the death of 118-year-old Lucille Randon from France, who was previously the oldest inhabitant of the Earth.

Despite her age, Maria Morera does not have any particular health problems. Only weak hearing, partially lost in childhood, and age-related difficulties with movement overshadow her well-being. However, Maria enthusiastically agreed to participate in a scientific study to study the secrets of longevity.

Communication with the woman left an indelible impression on the scientist Manel Esther. A clear mind, excellent memory, absence of diseases typical for older people - all this speaks of the extraordinary nature of this woman.

Esther does not rule out that the secret of Maria’s longevity lies in genetics, because there are several centenarians in her family. To study the influence of genetic factors on life expectancy, samples of biomaterials were taken from Maria, which will be compared with samples from her 80-year-old daughter.

Maria Morera is the 12th oldest person in history with reliable data. When she turns 118, she will move up to fifth place. And the longevity record still belongs to the French woman Jeanne Calment, who lived 122 years and 164 days.