The scientists who discovered the structure of telomeres and their function were recognized by being awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine. Telomeres are short pieces of DNA that coat the outer edges of chromosomes to prevent the chromosome from being degraded. Every time our cells divide, the telomeres begin to erode away and when the telomeres become too short, the cell ceases to divide and the cells simply begin to age. This suggests why organs begin failing in older people as they age.
Now that's the background of what a telomere is. A scientist team went out to test the questions of whether people who live longer have longer telomeres, and if they have gene sequences that code for telomerase, the enzyme that creates telomere, which results in their longer telomeres. They found that indeed, people who live longer tend to have longer telomeres and that they do indeed have gene sequences that code for this telomerase. So we know that some people have longer telomeres and it may be because they have gene sequences that code for telomerase. So what do we get from knowing this? Knowing that some people are more advantageous and virtually stay younger for a longer time may lead to research that could lead to that fabled "fountain of youth." Now that might come with mixed feelings, but we should look forward to the products that could result before this "fountain of youth." With research, we may be able to figure out a way to develop a medicine that effectively increases the length of our telomeres and prevent diseases such as cardiovascular disease and other age related diseases. Or even before that, we may be able to find a way to produce an anti-skin aging lotion that actually works. Whatever happens, I think that this research will lead to some great things, as long as someone doesn't try to go immortal.
-Yuzo Yanagitsuru
Saturday, November 14, 2009
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13 comments:
WHOA!! This post is funny, because this is exactly what my mom believes/has been telling me my whole life.
I think an anti-aging formula would be kind of creepy. I can just imagine a bunch of rich 60 year old women looking like they're 45.
Phoebe, think celebrity actress and you've found a bunch of those women..
Just another "advance" in DNA sequencing and its meanings.
http://www.komonews.com/news/tech/69979672.html
This discovery is cool, and I'm sure it will help to improve the prevention of certain diseases. At the same time, I know its nice to look young, but some people in our society have become way too obsessed with it. I think people often forget that things like eating right and exercising are just as important as "age defying lotion" when trying to live a long, good life. Certain people may have certain advantages written into their genes, but we also have to remember to take good care of our bodies, or else those advantages really won't matter.
Whoahhh. Cool! This is really interesting. Haha the whole talk about the "fountain of youth" reminds me of Tuck Everlasting. Anyway, that's a really cool discovery. Hopefully it leads to some really helpful cures for diseases. Are there any particular things that damage these telomeres?
I don't think any anti-aging lotion would ever be able to increase the telomeres in our chromosomes. That would require gene therapy.
"Whatever happens, I think that this research will lead to some great things, as long as someone doesn't try to go immortal."
Being immortal is not necessarily a bad thing.
Kevin, it's not always a bad thing, but population control sure as hell will get annoying..
Death from aging is not the only causes of death. There are car crashes, injury accidents, just plain catching the cold, etc. that would kill a frail person.
This is so interesting! It really does remind me of the "fountain of youth". And I agree with Rachel. People shouldn't totally rely on technology and aging products to keep them looking young. Eating habits and exercising also play a major role. I'm glad this discovery was made. Hopefully, it will better help more of those people who are in need.
Kevin, do you think a majority of deaths come from accidents? If you don't change the number of accidents, but you do eliminate the number of natural deaths, the population will increase... of course, then accidents do increase, but it's miniscule, at best, relative to population growth
Interesting post Yuzo. I remember learning about this in bio, and if I recall correctly, telomerase, the enzyme activated to stop telomeres from shortening, can also cause cancer. This would lead to an interesting Catch-22, as telomerase can stop aging, but induce cancer as a possible trade-off. I look forward to seeing how scientists reconcile these two things and use them for the (hopefully) benefit of mankind. The discovery of the telomeres, and the increasing knowledge of their functions is a great discovery, and the scientists are well-deserving of the Nobel Prize. It's nice to see that the Nobel Committee still awards non-political-statement recognition (coughObamacough).
"if I recall correctly, telomerase, the enzyme activated to stop telomeres from shortening, can also cause cancer. This would lead to an interesting Catch-22, as telomerase can stop aging, but induce cancer as a possible trade-off."
There you go, Franklin. Some will die, others will survive.
Besides, given the age that most people would age into, accidents will occur more frequently (falling down the stairs, tripping, etc.) and more dangerous because old people are fragile.
Well, Kevin, if I understand the concept, (bio people, correct me if I'm wrong) by preserving telomeres, or simply having them last longer, it continues cell reproduction. Thus, by increasing cell reproductive ability, most aging symptoms would go away, namely fragility. In essence, we would stay younger longer..
And Kevin, I find cancer isn't exactly the best tradeoff, but I'm sure scientists will find a way to counter act that before releasing this to the public..
i remember this from AP BIO! it was definitely one of the most captivating discussions in class. The fountain of youth is within us.
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