At a Glance

• People with mutations that lead to excessively long chromosome tips, or telomeres, may be at increased risk for a range of cancers.
• The findings add another dimension to earlier research suggesting that increased telomere length can slow the aging process and prolong life.

Telomeres are protective molecular caps at the ends of chromosomes. They keep chromosome tips from being broken down. Telomeres tend to shorten as we get older, because they naturally erode each time cells divide. When telomeres shrink to a certain threshold, the cell stops multiplying or dies. ....