A 117-Year-Old’s Cells Show Youthful Clocks Hidden in an Aging Body

Researchers studying Maria Branyas Morera, the oldest known person, found a paradox in her biology: her cells carried clear signs of aging (short telomeres, pro-inflammatory immune features, and clonal hematopoiesis) while epigenetic clocks suggested her cells were about 23 years younger than her chronological age. Her gut microbiome was rich in Bifidobacterium, a pattern associated with youth and possibly linked to yogurt consumption. The study suggests that longevity and disease resistance may be partly separable processes, but it’s based on a single individual and requires larger cohorts for validation.