"A person's life is limited. Everyone will grow old and die, but who knows why we grow old and die?"
On the podium, the professor who was nearing the end of his life spoke slowly. His voice echoed in the spacious classroom through the speakers.
"As we all know, the unit of life is the cell. Every one of us here is born from the division of a tiny fertilized egg cell.
"One becomes two, two becomes four, four becomes eight..."
Below the podium, Chen Chen rested his chin on his hand and twirled the gel pen in his right hand. He stared at the projection screen in boredom.
"Cells will also age and die. New cells will constantly replace the dying cells. This is the secret to our continuous growth.
"However, this division isn't infinite.
"In 1965, Professor Hayflick of Stanford University discovered that human cells can't self-replicate more than 57 times. Every cell will die after 56 replications.
"It's like there's a counter in the cell that determines when the cell will stop dividing and when a person will age...
"In theory, human cells can divide up to 56 times at most. Based on the calculation of the cell division cycle, the maximum lifespan of a person should be around 120 years. This theory is called..."
"Clack!"
Just as Chen Chen was engrossed in the lecture, his finger suddenly slipped and the gel pen flew out, falling under the table.
Chen Chen immediately bent down and reached for the ground.
"Hmm?"
Just as he lowered his head to the bottom of the table, a black light shone into his eyes inadvertently.
There was no need to ask why there was darkness in the light. The moment he bent down, Chen Chen did see a black light.
He instinctively looked over.
It was a long object, completely black. It was stuck under the table, embedded in a hidden groove.
Therefore, after Chen Chen picked up the pen, he extended his arm again and dug at the position.
With a slight exertion of force, the pitch-black object was successfully plucked out with a crack.
"The student who's burrowing under the table, you answer —"
However, at this moment, the professor's voice suddenly came from the podium.
"Pfft!"
The low laughter of his roommate came from behind him.
Chen Chen quickly crawled out from under the table, his face flushed with embarrassment.
He looked at the professor who was still smiling and looked down at the textbook. He stammered, "Hayflick limit?"
"Please have a seat."
The professor gestured for Chen Chen to sit down.
The lecture continued.
"At both ends of the DNA, there are things called 'telomeres'. These things play a vital role in cell division.
"It is responsible for maintaining the integrity of chromosomes. Every time a cell divides, the telomeres will become shorter. When the telomeres are so short that they can no longer protect the gene structure, the cell will suppress its growth, stop replicating, and enter senescence."
"This is the Hayflick limit."
As he spoke, the professor turned around and quickly wrote "Hayflick limit" on the blackboard.
After sitting down again, Chen Chen breathed a sigh of relief. While the professor was busy writing, he quickly picked up the item in his hand and glanced at it.
Emmmmm …
Chen Chen lost all interest in that one look.
It turned out that the black object was none other than a USB drive.
Unlike the USB drives on the market, this USB drive was much longer than regular USB drives. It was twelve to thirteen centimeters long and looked like a carbon rod.
Only the USB port exposed the fact that it was just a USB drive.
Other than that, the entire USB drive was completely black. There was not even a logo or memory mark.
However, seeing how cool it looked, Chen Chen finally put the USB drive in his pocket. He would study it when he got back to the dormitory.
At this time, the professor continued his lecture. "With the current level of technology, it's impossible for cells to break through the Hayflick limit. However, we can bypass this problem in other ways..."
As he spoke, the professor wrote another five words on the blackboard:
Eternal Hela.
"Everyone must be thinking, if there is a way to prevent the telomeres from being worn out, will our cells be able to live forever?
"The answer is yes!"
The professor excitedly added the words "Hela Cell Line" under "Eternal Hela".
"Hela Cell Line is a cell line isolated from human cervical cancer tissue in 1951. The contributor is Herretta Lax.
"Researchers discovered that the cells collected from Lax did not die. Instead, they showed signs of growth. The number of cells doubled every 24 hours.
"Later, it was discovered that the reason these cells did not die was due to the RT tumor virus that caused cervical cancer. The gene of this virus can change the 'switch' of normal cell lifespan, allowing the cells to live forever and proliferate indefinitely.
"In the years that followed, Hela cells were provided to research institutions across the Federation. They helped scientists achieve cell cloning and were also used to investigate the effects of nuclear radiation on the human body. They were also used on rockets that flew into space to study cell proliferation under weightlessness...
"According to data from medical and biological databases, as of this year, there have been more than 65000 papers related to Hela cells and more than 50 million tons of cultured Hela cells...
"Thus, there was a common knowledge that everyone in later generations knew — cancer cell lines are 'eternal'. As long as there is a suitable cultivation environment, they can divide indefinitely."
At this point, many students in the audience began to clap spontaneously. This was a tribute to the contributor.
"Of course, if we humans use this' switch ', we will be courting death!"
The professor changed the topic and suppressed the applause.
"After all, if the division cycle of our cells is disrupted and we do not age on time, it will turn into malignant tumors and threaten our lives!
"We humans continuously advanced on the path of truth. Back in the era of clan society, the average lifespan of humans was less than 20 years old. By the Middle Ages, the average lifespan of humans had advanced to 40 years old...
"With the emergence of science, human civilization entered a period of rapid development. In just a few decades, the average lifespan of the Earth Federation was approaching 80 years old!
"But is this enough?"
"Even if humans developed to the extreme, they would only reach 120 years old as mentioned by the Hayflick limit. They are far from immortality. What should we do then?"
After a pause, the professor continued speaking.
"Thus, a turning point came …
"In 2002, this' switch 'was finally found. Professor John Sulston of the University of Cambridge and two others discovered a hereditary regulatory mechanism called' cell programmed death '."
The professor wrote the words "cell programmed death" on the blackboard again and drew a circle around it.
There was a loud crack. Due to the force of his fingers, the chalk suddenly broke.
"The discovery shocked the entire medical community because it confirmed that cell death is a physiological, active 'suicide', like a program that has been programmed in the dark!
The professor spread his hands. "In other words, we think that aging is a natural process, but in reality, it may be a genetic defect! If we can repair this defect, there is hope to defeat aging and achieve eternal life! "
There was a sudden gasp from the audience.
It was as if a brand-new door had been opened. Chen Chen's pupils shrank and he repeated the two magical words in a voice that only he could hear.
"Eternal life?
"Eternal life...
"Therefore, as a biological science major, you are the generation with the most hope to repair the genetic defect."
The professor smiled expectantly. "In other words, you are the generation closest to eternal life in human history!"
At this point, the class was nearing its end.
The silver-haired professor picked up a handkerchief to wipe his sweat and concluded with a sigh of anticipation.
"I have to say, we humans still know nothing about the vast sea of truth. Perhaps even the unattainable dream of eternal life is only the first step in the pursuit of truth...
"But no matter what, the future belongs to you...
"Alright, class dismissed!"
"Clap clap clap clap..."
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