每次分裂后，端粒变短一段时间后可能发生的一件事是染色体上的基因片段会断裂。
So after each division, the telomeres get shorter and one of the things that may happen after a while is that pieces of the genes themselves get broken off the Chromosomes.
科学家的发现表明，这些蝙蝠的细胞有能力保持和修复它们的端粒。
The scientists' findings suggest that these bats' cells have the ability to keep and repair their telomeres.
端粒是高度重复的，从基因上来说没有意义的DNA序列，我们称之为垃圾 DNA。
Now a telomere is a highly repetitious and genetically meaningless sequence of DNA, what we were calling junk DNA.
看起来，当通过观察特定染色体上的端粒长度，我们实际上可以预测某些细胞能够成功分裂多久。
It seems that, by looking at the length of the telomeres on specific Chromosomes, we can actually predict pretty much how long certain cells can successfully go on dividing.
无论如何，如果我们检查这些螺旋状DNA的末端，我们会发现每条人类染色体的末端都有一个被称作“端粒”的 DNA序列。
Anyway, if we examine these ends of these coils of DNA, we will find a sequence of DNA at each end of every human Chromosome, called a telomere.
但当我们用化学方法分析这些细胞时，我们发现了一些非常有趣的东西，其中有一种化学物质，是一种叫做端粒酶的酶。
But when we analyze these cells chemically, we find something very interesting, a chemical in them, an enzyme called telomerase.
因为端粒保护染色体末端，阻止细胞分裂。
Because telomeres protect the ends of chromosomes to stop cells dividing.
端粒酶是一种只在活跃分裂的细胞中产生的酶。
Telomerase is an enzyme that is produced only in cells that are actively dividing.
总有一天，我们也许能够利用端粒酶使任何细胞保持活力，使其正常工作并永久地自我复制。
Someday we may be able to take any cell and keep it alive functioning and reproducing itself essentially forever through the use of telomerase.
每当一个细胞分解，它的端粒就会缩短，而细胞就变得更为易于死亡。
Each time a cell divides, its telomeres shortens and the cell becomes more susceptible to dying.
到目前为止，端粒酶似乎是问题的关键。
当端粒变得非常短时，细胞就无法正常工作，会显现衰老的征兆。
When the telomeres become very short, the cell starts to malfunction and show signs of ageing.
此外，不仅仅是父亲的端粒长度与其子孙后代的端粒长度相关，而且他们与孩子之间的寿命也相关。
Moreover, it was not merely the father's telomere length that correlated with that of his offspring, but also his actual lifespan.
他们的发现解释了染色体末端是怎样得到端粒的保护，而端粒是在端粒酶的作用下形成的。
These discoveries explained how the ends of the chromosomes are protected by the telomeres and that they are built by telomerase.
但是，如果端粒酶非常活跃的话，端粒的长度得以维持，而细胞则能保持年轻。
But if the telomerase enzyme is very active, telomere lengths are maintained and cells are kept young.
但是如果造出大量端粒酶的话，可以推迟细胞的死亡。
But, cell death is delayed if a lot of the enzyme telomerase is produced.
但一种被称为端粒酶的酶类则可以逆转这个过程；癌细胞之所以不死，其中便有端粒酶的部分功劳。
But there's an enzyme called telomerase that reverses this process; it's one of the reasons cancer cells live so long.
活跃的肿瘤常常有一种特殊的酶来修复端粒。
Successful cancers often have a special enzyme that repairs telomeres.
这意味着，这些人在出生时端粒就比较短，所以更容易衰老。
This means they are born with shorter telomeres, and so are prone to ageing more quickly.
研究发现令他十分惊讶：咨询不仅阻止了端粒的缩短，同时促进了端粒的生长。
What he found surprised him. Not only did counselling stop telomere shrinkage, it actually promoted telomere growth.
科学家还将研究端粒是否会影响人的外表。
Scientists have yet to study whether telomeres influence a person's appearance.
对苏格兰男性的研究显示：拥有最长端粒的人患心脏病的概率是端粒短的人的一半。
Study of men in Scotland shows those with the longest telomeres were half as likely to develop heart disease than those with shorter telomeres.
她们发现锻炼和咨询对压力个体的端粒有相似的作用。
This showed that exercise has a similar effect to counselling on the telomeres of the stressed.
端粒的长度与寿命的长短有关，染色体端粒越短，它所在的生命跨度也就越短。
Telomere length tends to shorten with age, and shorter telomeres tend to be linked with shorter life spans.
端粒长度，跟胆固醇水平一样是预测冠心病的很好的指标。
Telomere length was as good as cholesterol levels at predicting the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
他解释说，更长的端粒代表了更低水平的炎症。
Longer telomeres indicate low levels of inflammation, he explained.
我们能够探测到端粒长度的差异，这是一个很简单而且快速的技术：很多样本能够同时检验，更重要的是，我们能够判断出那些是危险的端粒？
We can detect very small differences in telomere length and it is a very simple and fast technique where many samples can be analysed at the same time.
我们能够探测到端粒长度的差异，这是一个很简单而且快速的技术：很多样本能够同时检验，更重要的是，我们能够判断出那些是危险的端粒？
We can detect very small differences in telomere length and it is a very simple and fast technique where many samples can be analysed at the same time.
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