This simple cartoon offers you a smart, concise scientific explanation of one possible way animal lives can be extended — by tinkering with chromosomes.


You've probably heard a lot about how telomeres get shorter as we age. This video provides a great introduction to what exactly telomeres are, and how scientists have managed to affect the way they behave in mice. In the process, they created a mouse that aged much more slowly than is typical. Could this be the key to prolonging human life? Watch and find out!

UCSF biomedical sciences researcher Florie Charles put this video together in an effort to translate a complicated scientific idea into something a little more accessible and fun. She's got a lot more videos like it on her website, Youreka Science, and yes, they all feature adorable animated cells.


via Youreka Science