Seychelles warblers are on the verge of extinction
Little strings, known as ‘telomeres’, are found at the ends of cells. They protect our DNA, ensuring that it’s not corrupted or damaged. Kate Bebbington of the University of East Anglia likens them to ‘the hard plastic ends of a boot lace’. Our cells divide repeatedly as we age. The telomeres ‘get broken down and become shorter because they absorb all the damage experienced during life’ she says.
“The rate at which this happens reflects how much stress the body is under and, how long it can continue to function. In humans, things like smoking, eating foods that are bad for you and putting your body through extreme physical or mental stress, all have a shortening effect on telomeres. The healthier you are, or have been, the better telomeres you have and the less quickly you age. When its telomeres are gone, a cell can’t divide any more and dies. These little biological clocks place a limit on how long we last,” she says.
