Telomeres

When I launched this blog I decided to subscribe to Google ads primarily to see what topics the software would link to the subject matter I planned to discuss. The ads on origins and systems or organizational theory were obvious. Today I was pleasantly surprised to see an ad with the title, "Measure your Telomeres." This was only obliquely addressed in my discussions about cancer and DNA.

Telomeres are related to the ability of a cell to divide. In most cases the telomeres at the end of the chromosomes (I am typing this from memory) gets shorter each time the cell divides until the cell reaches the Hayflick limit and divides no more. Of course, this is coded in the cell's DNA. In a cancerous situation DNA tells the cell to replicate the telomeres instead of shortening it, so that the cell essentially becomes immortal. These are perfectly healthy cells but their unbridled growth produces a terrible disease because of the pressure it places on other cells.

This process accurately illustrates what the human race has been going through. More later as we deal with our global cancer.