Big Picture Science: Cell! Cell!

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Live forever? Both cancer cells and stem cells can make a claim to immortality. Left unchecked, tumors will grow indefinitely. And stem cells offer the promise of non-stop rejuvenation.

We’ll find out whether the surprising discovery of stem cells in the brain really can keep our thinking organ young. And we’ll hear the remarkable story of Henrietta Lacks, the woman who unwittingly donated tissue to science in 1951, and whose cancer cells are still grown in laboratories around the world today.

Guests:

• Rebecca Skloot – Journalist and author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
• Fred Gage – Neurobiologist at the Salk Institute
• Randy Sheckman – Molecular and cell biologist at the University of California, Berkeley

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