👉 Tel blood cells, or telomeres, are protective caps at chromosome ends that shorten during cell division. When they critically short, telomerase reverses them, but most body cells cannot maintain this, leading to aging and potential disease risks. The researcher observed a rare mutation in lab mice with super-long telomeres. Determined to study their rapid division rate, they extracted and sequenced tel DNA, revealing the mutation's efficiency. Excitedly, they replicated the experiment using human stem cells and found similar results, suggesting telomere dynamics could influence cellular health and aging faster than anyone imagined.
