Skywars is wild. But do you know what else is wild? HeLa cells. Discovered in 1951, HeLa cells were explanted from a cancerous cervical tissue from Henrietta Lacks, a 31-year-old African American woman. HeLa cells are part of the human cervical cancer cell line and what makes them wild is the fact that they are immortal. Because of their aggressive growth rate, HeLa cells are easily farmed and sold for various research purposes. HeLa cells have been used in multiple clinical trials that involve the injections of viruses into the HeLa cells to observe the behavior of viruses when they infect the human body. In addition, HeLa cells were used to understand the harmful effects of X-rays on the human body as well as the exposure of radiation that is present in outer space. Speaking of outer space, the first African American woman to be ejected into space was Mae Jemison in 1998. However that is false. HeLa cells were ejected into space in 1964, making Henrietta Lacks the first African American woman to be in space. This raises the philosophical debate whether the immortal cells from Henrietta Lacks should be considered... human. Are the immortal cells taken from Henrietta's cancerous cervical tissue still Henrietta? There is much to debate. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.
