HeLa cells

[TimberWolf]

New one on me. Quite gruesome.

A HeLa cell (also Hela or hela cell) is a cell type in an immortal cell line used in scientific research. It is one of the oldest and most commonly used human cell lines.

The line was derived from cervical cancer cells taken from Henrietta Lacks, a patient who eventually died of her cancer on October 4, 1951

HeLa cells are termed "immortal" in that they can divide an unlimited number of times in a laboratory cell culture plate as long as fundamental cell survival conditions are met

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' body.

HeLa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

She may be the first and perhaps the oldest immortal. Well, the bits of DNA that are still human. Not only immortal but almost unstoppable:

Because of their adaptation to growth in tissue culture plates, HeLa cells are sometimes difficult to control. They have proven to be a persistent laboratory "weed" that contaminates other cell cultures in the same laboratory, interfering with biological research and forcing researchers to declare many results invalid...contamination issue — caused not by human error or shortcomings but by the hardiness, proliferating, or overpowering nature of HeLa.

Yikes.

[Zippy]

There are other individuals who have been used in this way (but with their permission). Cancer seems to be a common theme though.

[2BIT]

New one on me. Quite gruesome.



She may be the first and perhaps the oldest immortal. Well, the bits of DNA that are still human. Not only immortal but almost unstoppable:



Yikes.

there was a good Adam Curtis doc about this called the way of all flesh, you can only seem to get vhs rips online but worth a watch