• Question: why do some cells age quicker than others?

    Asked by EM26 to Carolyn, Peter, Richard, Sara, Siana on 18 Nov 2015.
    • Photo: Sara Falcone

      Sara Falcone answered on 18 Nov 2015:

      Hello 🙂

      Last year a group of scientists from the US did a big research on epigenetics changes ( those changes that happen to the DNA that happen after we’re born) and came to the conclusion that are those changes that make cells age differntly.

      They didn’t stop there and using these results they also created a “clock-watcher”, a method to forsee and keep track of the differet timing.

    • Photo: Richard Unwin

      Richard Unwin answered on 20 Nov 2015:

      Hi Em – its all bout how quickly they grow and the amount of damage they get, (and indeed can repair). Cells that age the quickest tend to have either very fast growth (in the study that Sara mentioned breast tissue seemed to be the oldest – and you grow a lot of cells here as you develop), or are less well protected from damage.

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