RamaSchneider t1_jdq29kc wrote on March 26, 2023 at 8:22 AM

Reply to comment by MadDocsDuck in Printed organs becoming more useful than bio ones by TheRappingSquid

(Asking from general ignorance) I've read about telomeres and telomerase and how the telomeres keep shrinking as our cells divide and how once that telomerase is gone, the cell is dead.

Any accuracy there?

MadDocsDuck t1_jdq3v0k wrote on March 26, 2023 at 8:45 AM

Yes that is true. However, that is not the only reason cells die after a certain amount of time. If you want more information about that you can look up Hayflick limit (wiki article)

gopher65 t1_jdsjmbk wrote on March 26, 2023 at 9:18 PM

That is just the cell's self destruct flag. It minimizes the chances that the cell will live long enough to aquire enough DNA damage that it becomes cancerous.

It's the "kill me before" date, if you will. That isn't what damages cells though. Living does that:P.

IndigoFenix t1_jdrntah wrote on March 26, 2023 at 5:33 PM

This is the primary mechanism, though the benefit for this system is that it makes cancer much less likely. A potential cancer cell must activate its telomerase production or the tumor will die once its cells have divided more than they are supposed to.