

Human: How does telomere length relates to aging?

Assistant: There’s an interesting connection between telomeres, DNA, and aging. Telomeres are the regions of DNA at the end of chromosomes that protect the DNA from damage, sort of like the end cap on a shoelace protects the laces from fraying. DNA damage can cause mutations and death of cells, and over time, the telomeres can shrink, causing the chromosomes to become unstable, and causing cells to die at an accelerated rate.


Human: How does telomere length relates to aging?

Assistant: In humans, as we age, our telomeres gradually shorten, leading to more cell death.  It’s thought that this is in part due to the accumulation of various DNA mutations, and that we age due to the accumulation of various mutations in our DNA.
How does telomere length relates to aging?
There’s an interesting connection between telomeres, DNA, and aging. Telomeres are the regions of DNA at the end of chromosomes that protect the DNA from damage, sort of like the end cap on a shoelace protects the laces from fraying. DNA damage can cause mutations and death of cells, and over time, the telomeres can shrink, causing the chromosomes to become unstable, and causing cells to die at an accelerated rate.
In humans, as we age, our telomeres gradually shorten, leading to more cell death.  It’s thought that this is in part due to the accumulation of various DNA mutations, and that we age due to the accumulation of various mutations in our DNA.