Researchers investigating an enzyme which permits unlimited cell replication have received the Nobel Prize for Medicine. The enzyme is called telomerase. Telomerase affects telomeres, parts of cells which govern cell replication. According to Bloomberg, human genes are packed into chromosomes, which are topped by telomeres. Telomeres get shorter each time a cell divides -- except in cells with the telomerase enzyme. "When the caps get too short, the cell can’t divide anymore and dies. While the telomerase enzyme isn’t active in most human cells, which stop reproducing and eventually die, it has been found in cancer cells, the Nobel committee...
