The amazing HeLa cells

[LuisP]

Just to grasp this at once, let us state that these are cells taken on February 8, 1951, from Henrietta Lacks (hence its contracted name), a patient who eventually died of her cancer. This cell line was found to be remarkably durable and prolific. But not only that.

Also amazing.

They belong to the scientific Order of the “incertae sedis”, meaning, “of unknow placement”.
Why ?

Not because they are cancer cells.
Not because they are literally Immortal, meaning, able to divide an unlimited number of times and only requiring to be “maintained and sustained in a suitable environment”, meaning, fed at a comfortable room temperature to live forever and able to divide the above mentioned unlimited number of times
Not because they proliferate abnormally rapidly, even compared to other cancer cells, and have been doing it, since 1951.
Not because they have an active version of telomerase during cell division, which prevents the incremental shortening of telomeres that is implicated in aging and eventual cell death.
Not because they were used to test the first polio vaccine in the 1950s.
Not because they were the first human cells to be successfully cloned in 1955.
Not because, since then, they have been used for "research into cancer, AIDS, the effects of radiation and toxic substances, gene mapping” among countless other scientific pursuits.
Not because it has been estimated that the total number of HeLa cells that have been propagated in cell culture far exceeds the total number of cells that were in Henrietta Lacks's own, and entire, body.
Not because, by 2009, it was already estimated that more than 60,000 scientific articles had been published about research done on them, that number growing at a rate of additional 300 papers per month.

But because
- a scientific debate still continues, more than 60 years after their “discovery”, on the classification of the cells given the fact … of their “non-human” number of chromosomes.
Hence “incertae sedis”.

For these cells exhibit a "hypertriploid chromosome number (3n+)" which means 76 to 80 total chromosomes with 22–25 clonally abnormal chromosomes, known as HeLa signature chromosomes."

Thing is, the “normal human exibit” is just a diploid number of 46.

Whatever that means, I say.
But hope you get my meaning.

Now what does this has to do with my line of reasoning ? (I’m assuming, honcho guy I am, that you’ve read all my previous posts, okay ?)

Well, to know that, you will have to read my next post, in a new topic.

It will be called “The Magneto-Ultrasonic Nanomotor”.

Stay tuned.

[StarCat]

I've read her story as told by Rebecca Skloot. The treatment of Henrietta and her cells was barbaric.

Cat