I do agree with you, that is the general scientific consensus. I made that statement vague because new data is emerging about the telomere network,so I'm not s

I do agree with you, that is the general scientific consensus. I made that statement vague because new data is emerging about the telomere network,so I'm not sure what is the current correct way to think about telomere's. Some new research papers are emerging that question the existing model we have about telomeres. http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fgene.2015.00082/full http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fgene.2015.00... Quote from that paper "summarizing recent research findings, Trusina (2014) conclude that recently obtained knowledge ‘shift the telomere paradigm from a simple clock counting cell divisions to a more complex process recording the history of stress exposure within a cell lineage.’ " So I find it reasonable to think that telomeres could be more than just padding, like a clock or history of stress exposure in a cell lineage.