DYING -#4 OF THOSE WEIRD THINGS HUMANS DO AND WHY WE DO THEM

4. DYING
Okay, technically speaking, dying isn't an everyday activity. It is, however, done by a whole bunch of people every day. Why?

We die because our cells die. Though they replace themselves over and over again for 70-odd years, they can't do so forever. Inside each cell, telomeres at the end of our chromosomes contain genetic information that gets clipped away with each cell division. Telomeres start out long enough to handle a great many scissor snips. But eventually, they run out of length, the information they held is lost and the cells can't divide anymore.

Luckily, scientists are working on how to extend the lives of human beings, and think they could someday double the average.


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