A technique to keep the tips of your chromosomes healthy could reverse tissue ageing. The work, which was done in mice, is yet more evidence of a causal link between chromosome length and age-related disease.
Telomeres, the caps of DNA which protect the ends of chromosomes, shorten every time cells divide. But cells stop dividing and die when telomeres drop below a certain length – a normal part of ageing. The enzyme telomerase slows this degradation by adding new DNA to the ends of telomeres.
November 30, 2010
Captain Obvious Update: Germs
I’ve been pointing this out for years. Your body needs to be exposed to bad things like germs so that it can learn how to fight them. By overusing hand santizer, antimicrobial soaps, etc. you are removing a terrific chance for your body to learn how to defend itself. Today an article in Science Daily confirms this.
ScienceDaily (Nov. 30, 2010) — Young people who are overexposed to antibacterial soaps containing triclosan may suffer more allergies, and exposure to higher levels of Bisphenol A among adults may negatively influence the immune system, a new University of Michigan School of Public Health study suggests.
It’s hard to buck good old common sense. Yes, catching germs is bad but not catching germs can be even worse.
Read the whole article. It’s good.
