Thousands of vials containing the DNA of Italians with very long lifespans have gone missing.

This DNA was collected years ago as part of widespread research interest in the island of Sardinia, whose residents are some of the world's longest living people. On average, 21 out of every 10,000 residents in one area of Sardinia live to age 100. In comparison, only four out of 10,000 Americans get to celebrate that birthday.

Researchers discovered the theft in August, but nobody knows when the vials actually disappeared, and the incident only became public this week. Because there was no sign of forced entry, prosecutor Biagio Mazzeo told the press that it was likely the vials were stolen by someone who had access to the lab in Perdasdefogu, a city in the north of Sardinia.

The case is especially intriguing because the vials were recently sold to Tiziana Life Sciences, a British biotech company that wanted them for research into aging. Tiziana had purchased the vials from a company called Shardna, which recently filed for bankruptcy.