Protective DNA-protein structures at the ends of chromosomes that prevent degradation and fusion with neighboring chromosomes. They shorten with each cell division and are associated with cellular aging.
From Greek 'telos' meaning 'end' and 'meros' meaning 'part'. Coined by geneticist Hermann Muller in 1938, though the molecular structure and function weren't fully understood until the 1970s-80s work by Elizabeth Blackburn and others.
Telomeres are like the plastic tips on shoelaces - without them, chromosomes would fray and stick together! They're also your cellular aging clock: each time a cell divides, telomeres get shorter, and when they're gone, the cell can't divide anymore and dies.
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