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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A paper which considers research into the phenomenon of ageing, with specific reference to DNA and changes which take place at the cellular level. Bibliography lists 11 sources.
Page Count:
8 pages (~225 words per page)
File: JL5_JLagedna.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
of different perspectives if a cohesive analysis of the phenomenon as a whole is to be achieved. Currently, there is considerable interest in the relationship between ageing and changes in
DNA structure. Theories of ageing can, as Gorski (2004) points out, be divided into two broad categories: programmed theories and random-damage theories. The former take the view that ageing results
from internal changes which are evolutionary: that is, genetically programmed. Such programming sets both the lifespan and rate at which ageing takes place, and is based on observations of the
fixed lifespans of species. Gorski notes that genetic predisposition is considered to be an important element in rates of ageing, in that
an individuals genetic capacity to resist stress is the basis of programmed ageing. Theories based on cellular senescence maintain that regulators at the cellular level control the ageing process of
the organism as a whole. It is certainly the case that there is a limit to the number of times some types of cell can divide, and it has been
found that stem cell therapy can promote longevity. Heylighen (1997) points out that the study of telomeres is important: each time
the cell divides the telomeres (outer sections of DNA) are cut off; in the young cell, these sections are superfluous and their loss has no effect. The more times mitosis
takes place, however, the more likely it is that the telomeres will consist of functional DNA and their loss means the death of the cell. It is possible that current
research into synthetic telomerase (the enzyme which produces telomeres) will offer new insights into the relationship between mitosis and ageing.
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