El ojo más viejo del mundo

En el Blog Short Sharp Science, de New Scientist se publica una entrada interesante: la historia del ojo más viejo del mundo. Resulta que un noruego que hoy tiene 80 años recibió la córnea de una persona que nació en 1885, por lo que es el órgano más viejo del mundo, gánándole por 8 años a la person más vieja del mundo, una norteamericana con 115!!!

Is this the oldest eye on earth?
You may have have heard the phrase "I'm as old as my eyes", but it doesn't hold true for people like Bernt Aune. The 80-year-old Norwegian received a cornea transplant fifty years ago, a piece of tissue now 123 years old that still works today.It could be the oldest eye, or even human body part, still functioning or to have ever been in use for so long. The oldest person alive today is an American woman who is 115 and the oldest age anyone has verifiably lived is 122, reached by Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment.Aune's eye is slightly older, and hopefully will be in use for a few more years yet. As for how it's doing, Aune says "my vision's not great any longer." (Perhaps the old cornea only sees in black and white?) He had a cornea transplanted into his right eye in 1958, from a man born in June 1885. At the time it was expected to work for only 5 years.However, Reuters report that the procedure has been in use since the early 20th century. That means there could be even older corneas out there.

Tom Simonite, online technology editor

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