What makes our bodies age ... our skin wrinkle, our hair turn white, our immune systems weaken? Biologist Elizabeth Blackburn shares a Nobel Prize for her work finding out the answer, with the discovery of telomerase: an enzyme that replenishes the caps at the end of chromosomes, which break down when cells divide. Learn more about Blackburn's groundbreaking research -- including how we might have more control over aging than we think.

Elizabeth Blackburn: The science of cells that never get old

The science of cells that never get old

Discovering telomerase, an enzyme that replenishes telomeres, suggests we have more control over aging than previously thought.

Chronic stress shortens telomeres, accelerating aging, but resilience and positive attitudes can protect our cellular aging process.

Our social environments and attitudes towards stress, not just genetics, significantly impact telomere length and health span.