These end-points are often compared to the plastic protective covers on the tips of shoelaces. Much biological research overlooked the lowly telomere, preferring to focus on the chromosome as a whole.

Elizabeth H. Blackburn, PhD, will present the 2005 Gladstone Distinguished Lecture in Molecular and Cell Biology on Monday, March 7. Titled "Telomeres and Telomerase in Health and Disease," the ...

What does TTAGGG spell? If you’re human, it might spell long life. That’s the sequence of DNA building blocks that keeps our cells ticking. The sequence bears repeating, and the more it repeats, the ...

Elizabeth Blackburn, Jack Szostak, and Carol Greider were recently awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their elucidation of the structure and maintenance of telomeres (the tips of ...

Many Americans have made a New Year’s resolution to improve their health, and protecting part of your DNA – the telomere – might help you reach that goal. In the book “The Telomere Effect: A ...

In the 1930s, Muller was surprised to note that telomeres were strangely resistant to mutagenic X-rays. Why are the unique properties of these chromosomal "end caps" so important? Thus, in her ...

A scientist can make no greater contribution than launching an entirely new field, and that is what this year's Nobel laureates in medicine did. But in the 29 years since the first discovery that has ...

The telomeres are special structures on the chromosome ends that are essential for providing protection from enzymatic end-degradation and maintaining chromosomal and genomic stability. This is the ...

Your DNA is located within the nuclei of your cells, where it’s bundled within structures called chromosomes. Each chromosome carries specific genetic information in the form of genes. As the cells in ...