From:	Erik Jameson <erikj@****.COM>
Subject:	Re: How old do Shapeshifters get???
Date:	Fri, 1 May 1998 21:37:16 -0400

You may notice a slight difference in the Subject line; the bad grammar was
giving me a terrible headache after all this time.

At 07:11 PM 5/1/98 -0500, you wrote:

>Not really. The ends of the chromosomes are called the telomeres. When
>the cell divides, a little bit of the telomere gets cut off. While it's
>believed that the information coded in the telomeres is garbage, or
>evolutionary leftovers at best, the problem apprently lies in what
>happens when you run out telomere -- you guessed it, useful stuff gets
>lost in the mix. Apparently this may be part of the problem with cancer -
>the odd mutation that produces a cancer cell may cause it to produce a
>hormone called telomerin, which rebuilds the telomeres after cell
>division. My info's a bit old on that, though, and I don't know what (if
>any) final verdict there was.


Hey, doesn't this maybe have something to do with that company that, what,
a few months ago announced that they had been able to practically make a
single cell immortal? Spawned all sort of discussions on if it could make
multiple-cellular organisms immortal also as I recall.

Some genetech lab, I think in Texas (which in all honesty, isn't the place
I think of when I think of high-tech). It's stock shot through the roof in
the following week after the announcement was made, it made the covers of
magazines like Time and Newsweek, their spokespeople were on TV programs
everywhere (damn what I wouldn't have given to been their PR person!).

I don't recall the specifics at all. Someone with a better memory, step up
to the free throw line and shoot some info our way.

Erik J.

And this is the last post of the week for me. By the time you read it,
I'll be home, cracking open a nice bottle of Welsh Bitter
Ale...mmmmm...bitters...BYE!