Cells, Waiting and the Birth of Christ

A cell’s life is very much like our own, characterized by moments of excitement, action and waiting. But cells may have the upper hand on us when it comes to waiting well.

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Interesting… seems to be the religious musings of a biologist.

It makes the claim that the only cells which are immortal are cancerous. This is not quite correct. Neurons do not have a life span. And these are not the only ones. Some are said to retire in the sense that they no longer divide to produce new cells. Hmmm…

Speaking of, interesting article about one the Henrietta Lacks’of HeLa cell fame,progeny. Using my family's dark history to teach about vaccines - BBC News
There is some sad irony in that perhaps past abuses caused further damage in lowering the trust of vaccines leading to yet more suffering.
Glad to hear that about neurons, though I think some of my memory cells have bit the dust, so taking that knowledge with a grain of salt.

There is a difference between imperishable and not having an expiration date.

Many cells require constant replacement. Neurons do not. There is a good reason for that. The connections they make are not replaceable. But of course they certainly CAN die from many different causes.

But “the grain of salt” caution may still be valid because this understanding of neurons might not be the whole truth. Some are challenging this.

Brain Basics: The Life and Death of a Neuron | National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

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