“ Soon after Harris’s HeLa-chicken study, a pair of researchers at New York University discovered that human-mouse hybrids lost their human chromosomes over time, leaving only the mouse chromosomes. Thi… Rebecca Skloot
“ The sort of thinking at the time was, 'Well, we're giving you access to medical care which you wouldn't otherwise be able to get, so your payment is that we get to use you in research.' Rebecca Skloot
“ Lillian converted to Puerto Rican, Gladys said, holding the letter to her chest. I looked at Gary, who sat beside her. Lillian’s skin was real light, even lighter than mom’s, Gary explained. She marri… Rebecca Skloot
“ Today an estimated 13 percent of birds are threatened, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. So are 25 percent of mammals and 41 percent of amphibians, in large part because… Rebecca Skloot
“ Only cells that had been transformed by a virus or a genetic mutation had the potential to become immortal. Rebecca Skloot
“ They also knew that there was a string of DNA at the end of each chromosome called a telomere, which shortened a tiny bit each time a cell divided, like time ticking off a clock. As normal cells go th… Rebecca Skloot
“ As a result of its investigation, the NIH said that to qualify for funding, all proposals for research on human subjects had to be approved by review boards—independent bodies made up of professionals… Rebecca Skloot
“ When he asked if she was okay, her eyes welled with tears and she said, “Like I’m always telling my brothers, if you gonna go into history, you can’t do it with a hate attitude. You got to remember, t… Rebecca Skloot
