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Glasgow Scientists Say Telomeres Indicate Life Length
from BBC News Online
Scientists at Glasgow University say they have found a key genetic indicator of how long an individual will live. They say the lengths of tiny pieces of DNA called telomeres indicate whether a young creature is likely to live long into old age.
But before you rush out to get your telomeres stretched--were such a process possible--it is worth pointing out that the creatures they have been working with are not humans but altogether shorter-lived zebra finches.
Everything that is made up of living cells contains chromosomes: the genetic code that makes us what we are. At the ends of each chromosome lie the telomeres. They have been likened to the caps on the ends of shoelaces--they stop things from unravelling.
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