Listen to the conversation and answer the questions.
Script
M :
We are going to learn about telomeres today. Have you heard of them?
W :
I haven’t. It’s not a familiar word.
M :
Well, telomeres are among your cells’ smallest structures. They protect the ends of chromosomes and keep them separated from one another in the DNA sequence. Do you know how many pairs of chromosomes every cell in our body has?
W :
Yes, 23 pairs.
M :
Right. Every cell in your body has 23 pairs of chromosomes, for a total of 46. And each one of them has a telomere at both ends―92 of these tiny caps per cell in all.
W :
Why are telomeres important?
M :
Telomeres directly influence how healthy each newly produced body cell will be. More importantly, telomeres are a yardstick for measuring human aging at the cellular level. Each time a cell divides, the telomere becomes shorter. That means as we get older and our cells have experienced more and more divisions, the telomeres become shorter and shorter.
W :
Then, that means people with longer telomeres will live longer than those with shorter telomeres?
M :
Exactly. Scientists say that telomere length can be a predictor of disease risk and even early death. Telomere shortness has been linked to chronic conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, lung diseases, and certain cancers.