Word: long
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...field of biological aging has in recent years focused on the long molecules of DNA contained in human cells called chromosomes. All chromosomes have protective caps at either end called telomeres. Each time a cell replicates itself (as it does before it dies), the telomeres shorten, like plastic tips fraying on the end of shoelaces. Shortened telomeres have been linked to a host of age-related illnesses such as heart disease and certain cancers. (Scientists have yet to study whether telomeres influence a person's appearance.) Last year's Nobel Prize for Medicine was awarded to three American scientists...
...Samani also says the telomere research offered no quick fixes and that telomere-based treatments were still a long way off. The reason for this is that telomeres - while potentially lowering the risk of heart disease - play a role in the development of cancer cells. "We all probably develop cancer cells that don't get past a few replications because of the effect of normal telomere shortening. If you make cells immortal by allowing them to replenish their telomeres, you may raise the risk of many nasty cancers considerably...
...bottom line, Samani says, is that scientists remain a long way from developing an elixir of youth, however alluring that goal may be. Reporting on his research, Britain's Daily Mail announced that Samani had found the "Peter Pan gene" - a headline that Samani greeted with a weary smile. "Aging and death will remain central to our biology at least for as long as I can foresee," he says...
...likes paying taxes, but Greeks seem to have an especially strong aversion to handing over their money to the state. Dimitris Georgakopoulos, the man in charge of taxation at the Ministry of Finance, says the attitude dates back to the 400-year-long Ottoman rule over Greece, when people evaded taxes as a form of resistance. Ordinary Greeks point to a more immediate cause. "Everyone cheats," says lawyer Elena Tzanetakou, 29, as she rushes out of a tax office in Athens after filing paperwork for a client. "The system is corrupt and it always has been, so people think...
While other viewers of long-track speed skating may see monotony, the Dutch see rhythm, tension and athletic grace. "Boring?" asks Diederik Peereboom, a Dutch native who works as a consultant in Brussels, who was desperately looking for a ticket to the 5,000-meter event. "Well, we think your football is boring. They stand around for three hours for what, 15 minutes of action?" (Watch a video of Olympic athletes training...