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  • Getting more sleep doesn’t just help you wake up refreshed in the morning.

  • It can also literally keep you young.

  • New studies show that those who are under stress and don’t get enough shuteye could

  • age up to six times faster than they would otherwise, giving a whole new meaning to the

  • term beauty rest.

  • It all comes down to a part of our genetic toolkit called our telomeres.

  • See, were made up of approximately 30-40 trillion cells of human tissue, and the DNA

  • for each of those cells is tightly coiled up into chromosomes, which are housed in the

  • nucleus of each cell.

  • While were just living our lives, going about our business, our cells are replicating

  • all the time.

  • Every time a cell divides, the chromosomes have to be copied as one cell splits into

  • two during mitosis.

  • And during that cell replication process, telomeres act as protective caps on the ends

  • of our chromosomes.

  • Like, if our chromosomes are shoelaces, then telomeres are the little plastic tips on the

  • ends of those shoelaces that keep them from fraying away.

  • In most living things, including us, telomeres are made of hundreds to thousands of repetitions

  • of the simple nucleic acid sequence TTAGGG.

  • This cap does a lot of things, including telling our cellular machinery where one chromosome

  • ends and another begins.

  • They also serve as a buffer during the copying process, because cell replication isn’t

  • perfect.

  • The little tool that does the DNA copying isn’t as precise as you might hope, and

  • can’t properly replicate the very ends of the chromosomesthis can cause a lot of

  • issues, and is called the end replication problem.

  • To avoid that chop-chop happening to your actual DNA—y’know the important stuff

  • that tells your cells what to doyour telomeres take the hit instead and every time a cell

  • divides, a little chunk of the telomere is lost in the process.

  • So telomeres shorten with each cell division, but they also get shorter as you age.

  • Like, even when youre producing new cells, your telomeres are now shorter than they once

  • were when you were younger, a trend calledtelomere attrition’.

  • This means that your chromosomes are less protected from damage during cell replication.

  • Which is what scientists believe could be behind the decreased function and wellness

  • of our bodies as we age, and could lead to degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

  • This info may now have you wondering, ‘well jeez, Louise, what do I have to do to keep

  • my telomeres from shortening as I age?'

  • On a certain level, there may not be much you can do about it.

  • Your telomereslength and how fast they shorten throughout your lifetime is highly

  • variable.

  • Estimates say anywhere from 30-80% of your telomere’s characteristics could be due

  • to genetic factors and other things out of your control like your father’s age at the

  • time you were conceived.

  • But, there’s good news: there are some things under our control.

  • While telomeres are the protectors of our DNA, they are also very susceptible to damage

  • themselves bymost notablystress.

  • Stress is an ambiguous word, but can come in a multitude of forms: smoking, obesity,

  • exposure to trauma, a psychological disorder like major depression, and so much more, all

  • of which can lead to physical effects like higher levels of stress hormones and the presence

  • of inflammation.

  • Which are associated with acceleration of telomere shortening.

  • And as weve already established, telomere shortening is not good for your health.

  • Just thinking about telomere shortening is stressing me out and probably shortening my

  • telomeres!

  • Man, I really need to get more sleep.

  • Exercising, staying away from cigarettes, doing what you can to destress might actually

  • add years to your life in the form of telomere length preservation.

  • But saving your telomeres from excess shortening won’t necessarily save you from the things

  • youre genetically predisposed for.

  • It just means they may happen to you later, rather than sooner.

  • And aside from making good lifestyle choices, there may be something we can take advantage

  • of to lengthen our telomeres built right into our cellular machinery.

  • Telomerase is an enzyme that lengthens telomeres.

  • In our adult stem cells, which is where new cells in our body come from, and our germ

  • cells, which make sperm and eggs, telomerase is busy building those telomeres back up.

  • If we could somehow get telomerase to build back the telomeres in our somatic cells, our

  • regular body cells, that would be great!

  • But the problem is that turning telomerase on is actually associated with cancer because,

  • again, cells aren’t meant to just replicate forever and if they do, it can be a problem.

  • These complex questions about telomere length and what we can do about it is a huge research

  • field and we are just skimming the surface here, so let us know if there’s something

  • in particular you’d like us to cover.

  • All this telomere business has really important implications for our future in medicine and

  • other kinds of innovation.

  • Dolly the cloned sheep, for example, was born with shortened telomeres and actually died

  • prematurely, telling us well need to take telomere science into consideration when working

  • on extremely ambitious synthetic organisms.

  • Scott Kelly, the astronaut who spent a year aboard the International Space Station, experienced

  • significant telomere shortening due to the stress his body was exposed to in space.

  • And now you have some serious scientific backing when saying that taking some chill time is

  • good for your health.

  • Fun Fact: Telomeres are made of the same amino acid sequence in almost every prokaryote,

  • meaning they are HIGHLY conserved.

  • Your telomeres are the same as a protists, as a sloths, as a ladybugs.

  • That’s pretty cool.

  • Wanna know more about what happened to Scott Kelly’s DNA during his year in space?

  • Check out this video here and make sure to subscribe for more genetic deep-dives.

  • Thanks for watching.

Getting more sleep doesn’t just help you wake up refreshed in the morning.

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B2 telomere shortening telomerase replication dna stress

How Are Your Telomeres? They Could Be the Key to How Fast You're Aging

  • 35 3
    林宜悉 posted on 2020/03/25
Video vocabulary

Keywords

process

US /ˈprɑsˌɛs, ˈproˌsɛs/

UK /prə'ses/

  • verb
  • To organize and use data in a computer
  • To deal with official forms in the way required
  • To prepare by treating something in a certain way
  • To adopt a set of actions that produce a result
  • To convert by putting something through a machine
  • noun
  • A series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end.
  • A summons or writ to appear in court or before a judicial officer.
  • A systematic series of actions directed to some end
  • Dealing with official forms in the way required
  • Set of changes that occur slowly and naturally
  • A series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end.
  • other
  • To perform a series of operations on (data) by a computer.
  • To deal with (something) according to a particular procedure.
  • Deal with (something) according to a set procedure.
  • To perform a series of mechanical or chemical operations on (something) in order to change or preserve it.
  • To perform a series of mechanical or chemical operations on (something) in order to change or preserve it.
  • Take (something) into the mind and understand it fully.
  • other
  • Deal with (something, especially unpleasant or difficult) psychologically in order to come to terms with it.
susceptible

US /səˈsɛptəbəl/

UK /səˈseptəbl/

  • adjective
  • Likely to fall prey to, be drawn to or influenced
  • Easily influenced by feelings or emotions; impressionable.
  • Likely to be influenced or harmed by a particular thing.
  • Easily influenced by feelings or emotions; receptive
  • At risk of developing a certain illness or problem
  • Vulnerable or prone to something
depression

US /dɪˈprɛʃən/

UK /dɪ'preʃn/

  • noun
  • Medical condition of a lack of vitality
  • A long and severe recession in an economy or market.
  • A long and severe recession in an economy or market.
  • A sunken place or hollow on a surface.
  • Period of unemployment and low economic activity
  • An area of low atmospheric pressure, typically associated with unsettled weather.
  • other
  • A state of feeling sad, without hope, or enthusiasm.
  • A mental health condition characterized by persistent sadness and loss of interest.
  • A state of feeling sad, without hope, or enthusiasm.
  • A mental condition characterized by feelings of severe despondency and dejection.
trauma

US /ˈtraʊmə/

UK /'trɔ:mə/

  • noun
  • A very severe or upsetting experience
  • Serious injury to part of the body
obesity

US /oˈbisɪti/

UK /əʊ'bi:sətɪ/

  • noun
  • State of being so fat it can harm your health
  • other
  • The condition of being very fat or overweight.
  • The state of being far too heavy; corpulence.
  • The condition of being grossly fat or overweight.
  • A public health issue characterized by excessive body fat accumulation that presents a risk to health.
  • other
  • The state of being severely overweight; excessive fatness.
  • The condition of being grossly fat or overweight.
  • A widespread health problem characterized by excessive body weight.
disorder

US /dɪsˈɔrdɚ/

UK /dɪs'ɔ:də(r)/

  • noun
  • State of confusion or a lack of organization
  • Illness when the body is not functioning well
  • A lack of order or organization; confusion.
  • An illness or a medical condition that disrupts normal physical or mental functions.
  • An illness that disrupts normal physical or mental functions.
  • A disturbance of the peace; public unrest.
  • other
  • To disrupt the order or arrangement of something.
  • To disrupt the order or arrangement of something.
  • To disrupt the order or organization of something.
  • other
  • A state of confusion or lack of organization.
  • other
  • A state of confusion; lack of order or regular arrangement; disarray.
  • A disturbance of the peace; a situation in which people behave in a noisy or violent way in public.
psychological

US /ˌsaɪkəˈlɑdʒɪkəl/

UK /ˌsaɪkəˈlɒdʒɪkl/

  • adjective
  • Relating to the mind or mental processes.
  • Affecting the mind or emotions.
  • Based on or relating to the science of psychology.
  • Relating to the emotional state of a person.
  • Relating to the mind or mental processes.
  • Relating to the mind or mental processes.
  • Relating to the science of psychology.
  • Relating to or involving the use of propaganda, threats, or other psychological techniques to subdue an opponent.
  • Concerning the study of the mind
  • Relating to the human mind and its functions.
exposure

US /ɪkˈspoʒɚ/

UK /ɪk'spəʊʒə(r)/

  • noun
  • Allowing light through a cameras lens onto film
  • Being talked about in the media
  • Act of making something that is secret known
  • Experience of something directly
  • other
  • The state of being exposed to something; the act of revealing something, especially something scandalous or previously hidden.
  • The state of being unprotected from something harmful, such as the weather.
  • The total amount that someone could lose in an investment or business deal.
  • The condition of being subjected to extreme weather conditions, especially cold, leading to hypothermia.
  • The amount of light allowed to reach a photographic film or sensor.
  • Publicity; the state of being known or recognized.
  • The experience of being exposed to something, such as an idea or culture.
approximately

US /əˈprɑksəmɪtlɪ/

UK /əˈprɒksɪmətli/

  • adverb
  • Around; nearly; almost; about (a number)
stress

US / strɛs/

UK /stres/

  • noun
  • Emphasis on part of a word or sentence
  • Pressure on something or someone
  • A state of mental tension, worry due to problems
  • verb
  • To emphasize one or more parts of a word, sentence
  • To put pressure on something or someone
  • To say your opinion strongly
  • To be in a state of mental tension due to problems