Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-24hb2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-29T15:24:29.788Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

13 - Christmas and Carol

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 June 2021

Get access

Summary

Human DNA is packed into forty-six chromosomes inside the cells of our body. At each end of the chromosome are the so-called telomeres: if the chromosome is a shoelace, the telomeres would be the protective plastic ends at the end of the shoelace. Cell divisions are essential to life, and they continuously take place in our body. However, the more the cell divides, the more telomeres are shortened, and the more the cell ages. In return, an enzyme called telomerase ‘rebuilds’ the telomeres, thus restoring the protection of the chromosome and delaying cellular senescence. The relationship between telomeres and telomerase is a delicate equilibrium. You won the Nobel Prize in 2009 for the discovery of ‘how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase’.

Type
Chapter
Information
Nobel Life
Conversations with 24 Nobel Laureates on their Life Stories, Advice for Future Generations and What Remains to be Discovered
, pp. 135 - 144
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×