Life and times. Biology of aging

Description

This Science Screen Report explores the genetics of aging and the different ways in which biologists study longevity. Citing various experiments with test subjects ranging from fruit flies to elderly humans, the program focuses on genetic structure and how it affects the life span of organisms. Highlighting two important scientific discoveries-the telomere, a genetic sequence determining how many times a cell can divide, and telomerase, an enzyme that extends that number-the program also suggests that the effects of aging may one day be reduced, if not eliminated.

Runtime

14 min

Subjects

Genre

Date of Publication

[2006], c2002

Database

Films on Demand

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