Maria Branyas Morera, a 117-year-old American-born Spaniard believed to be the world's oldest person, has died, her family announced on Tuesday. The news was first reported by Sky News.

"Maria Branyas has left us. She has gone the way she wanted: in her sleep, at peace, and without pain," her family wrote in a post on Morera's X account. They shared that in the days leading up to her death, she had told them: "I don't know when, but very soon this long journey will come to an end. Death will find me worn down from having lived so much, but I want to meet it with a smile, feeling free and satisfied."

Morera had been residing at the Residencia Santa Maria Del Tura, a nursing home in the Catalan town of Olot, for the past 23 years. Born in San Francisco on March 4, 1907, she moved to Spain with her family when she was young.

The Gerontology Research Group, which validates details of people thought to be 110 or older, had listed Ms Morera as the world's oldest known person following the passing of French nun Lucile Randon last year. With Ms Morera's death, the title now passes to Tomiko Itooka of Japan, who is 116 years old.

In November last year, scientist Manel Esteller spoke to ABC about Ms Morera's remarkable mental acuity despite her advanced age. "She remembers with impressive clarity events from when she was only four years old, and she does not present any cardiovascular disease, common in elderly people," he said. Esteller also noted a potential genetic component to her longevity, stating, "It is clear that there is a genetic component because there are several members of her family who are over 90 years old."

World's Oldest Person Dies in Spain at 117

Maria Branyas Morera, the world's oldest living person, has passed away at the age of 117 in Spain. Born in the United States and a survivor of two world wars, Branyas spent the last two decades of her life at the Santa Maria del Tura… pic.twitter.com/suY0DNJyCi

— Sunrise Africa (@sunriseafrica_) August 20, 2024

Morera's passing marks the end of an era, as she was one of the last living links to the early 20th century. Her life spanned numerous historical events and technological advancements, from the Wright brothers' first flight to the digital age.

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Ibrahim Al-Nasser, a video game collector from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, set the Guinness World Record for connecting the most game consoles (444) to a single TV. This includes a diverse collection of classic and modern consoles, including rare models.

Al-Nasser's setup utilizes a complex system of HDMI switchers, converters, and cable management techniques to connect the consoles to a single TV.

Al-Nasser's favorite console in his collection is the Sega Genesis.

Linda Guillory from Texas holds the record for the largest playable game platform collection with 2,430 consoles, which is larger than Al-Nasser's collection.

Sources: CNET, Engadget , ReadWrite, Terra, TecMundo, KultureGeek, Dexerto, Digital Trends, Tribune, UPI, Kotaku, HotHardware, Metro, eTeknix, GameNewsPlus, IGN, Time Extension, Lovin, ArcaMax.

This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.

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As the Israeli delegation is on its way home from the World Swimming Championships held in the United Arab Emirates, the Wingate Institute in Netanya hosted the Arena Israeli short course championships on Tuesday in which swimmer Orian Gablan broke a long-standing Israeli record by finishing a 1,500-meter freestyle swim in 16:50.44 minutes.

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Gablan, 19, from Hapoel Hod Hasharon, broke a previous record set by former Olympic swimmer and now head of the Israel Swimming Association Adi Bichman in 1999 when she completed the distance in 17:10.29.

Open-water champion Eva Fabian – from Hapoel Beit Shemesh – finished second with 16:54.87, and Omer Schwartz – from Macabbi Kiryat Biyalik – came in third with 16:59.75, a new record for ages 15-16.

As for the men, Ido Gal – from Macabbi Kiryat Ono – finished first in 15:05.15, ahead of Yonatan Ahdut – from Hapoel Jerusalem Swim club – who completed the distance in 15:14.17. Yoav Romano came in third with 15:22.87.

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After winning the gold medal in the women's 50-meter breaststroke at the World Swimming Championships in Abu Dhabi on Friday, teen swimmer Anastasia Gorbenko scored another gold on Sunday when she won the 100-meter medley final.

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Gorbenko completed her swim in 57.80, a new personal best.

"This is my best time, what more could I ask? I came to have fun with my friends and do the best I can," Gorbenko said.

Culture and Sports Minister Chili Tropper said, "Anastasia Gorbenko does it again, proving herself a great athlete! Another gold medal in Abu Dhabi, and an unprecedented achievement. Congratulations on the second win, which is the result of hard work, leading to an enormous victory. We're proud of you, Anastasia."

On Friday, Gorbenko became the first Israeli to win a gold medal at the Short Course Championships.

"It's special to me and my country being here in Abu Dhabi after we have peace with them [the UAE]. Representing my county is such an honor," the swimmer said after her victory Friday.

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Chemtai-Salpeter's result of 30:04 also became a new Israeli women's record for the distance, as well as a course record for the Tilburg Ten Miles race.

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"I'm pleased with today's result. I'm not surprised, because training has been going well. This race today was part of my training program for the Marathon World Championships in Doha [Qatar]," Chemtai-Salpeter said after the race.

"This time was confirmation that if you train properly and prepare a training plan professionally, including proper diet, injury prevention, and more, you can become a professional athlete. I'm happy that I broke the European record, and I'm heading in the right direction," Chemtai-Salpeter said.

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