Elizabeth Blackburn, Human Biology - Aging
by By Elizabeth Blackburn
Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn’s recording offers high school-age students a unique opportunity to learn about the human body through the lens of aging.
Elizabeth Blackburn, Ph.D., won the Nobel Prize in Physiology in 2009 for discovering the molecular nature of telomeres, the ends of chromosomes that serve as protective caps essential for preserving genetic information, and for co-discovering telomerase, an enzyme that maintains telomere ends.
In her SPI recording, she talks about the cellular and molecular processes that underlie aging and the importance of telomeres. What are they? Why do they matter? What happens when they become worn down? And what we can do in our day-to-day lives to live longer, healthier, and stronger lives.
Her research offers hope for cancer treatment, clues to the mystery of aging, and even biological links between life circumstance and lifespan. Wherever her curiosity leads her, Blackburn insists every conclusion be backed with data. “You have to get the science right.”