For me, arguably the story of telomeres and telomerase began thousands of years ago, in the cornfields of the Maya highlands of Central America.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the deep historical and cultural roots of scientific discovery, illustrating how the story of telomeres ties back to ancient civilizations.
Elizabeth Blackburn reflects on the origins of scientific inquiry related to telomeres and telomerase, suggesting that the understanding of these biological structures is not only modern science but also has historical significance that connects to ancient cultures, specifically the Maya civilization. By referencing the cornfields of the Maya highlands, she highlights the continuity of knowledge through time and its relevance to contemporary scientific achievements.
In practice
In a lecture on genetics, to introduce the historical perspective of telomere research.
Cancer cells have had so many other things go wrong with them, genetic, non-genetic changes, that those cells, one of the things they then get selected for is that they have lots of telomerase because now the telomeres in those cells get maintained.
We and other groups are seeing clear statistical links between telomere shortness and risk for a variety of diseases that are becoming very common, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and certain cancers.
Checking your telomere length is a bit like weighing yourself: you get this single number which depends on a lot of factors. Telomere length gives a sense of your underlying health.
We think there are lifestyle factors that boost telomerase naturally.
If we think of our chromosomes - they carry our genetic material - as being like shoelaces, I work on the plastic tips at the end that protect them.
Being senior enough in the field, having enough solidity, I don't feel afraid of being marginalized.
Thanks to the discoveries of astronomers in the twentieth century, we now know that the heat death is a myth. The heat death can never happen, and there is no paradox.
Cancer was not disorganized chromosomal chaos. It was organized chromosomal chaos
It may be said "In research, if you know what you are doing, then you shouldn't be doing it." In a sense, if the answer turns out to be exactly what you expected, then you have learned nothing new, although you may have had your confidence increased somewhat.
Physics has a history of synthesizing many phenomena into a few theories.
Man is slightly nearer to the atom than to the star. ... From his central position man can survey the grandest works of Nature with the astronomer, or the minutest works with the physicist. ... [K]nowledge of the stars leads through the atom; and important knowledge of the atom has been reached through the stars.
Pluto's orbit is so elongated that it crosses the orbit of another planet. Now that's... you've got no business doing that if you want to call yourself a planet. Come on, now! There's something especially transgressive about that.
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