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Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology 1, 72–76 (1 October 2000) | doi:10.1038/35036093

Hayflick, his limit, and cellular ageing

Jerry W. Shay & Woodring E. Wright

Almost 40 years ago, Leonard Hayflick discovered that cultured normal human cells have limited capacity to divide, after which they become senescent — a phenomenon now known as the ‘Hayflick limit’. Hayflick's findings were strongly challenged at the time, and continue to be questioned in a few circles, but his achievements have enabled others to make considerable progress towards understanding and manipulating the molecular mechanisms of ageing.