Henrietta Lacks, "immortal" woman and posthumous hero
http://www.disenchanted.com/dis/lookup.html?node=1860
I just find it fascinating that cancerous cells are living on immortally 60 years after the woman's death. Her cells are used often in cancer research and lead to the development of the Polio vaccine.
Scientists have been pondering the ability of cancerous cells to reproduce without the RNA breakdown present with normal cell reproduction, which is responsible for the effects of aging. It's possible that cancer is in fact part of the secret of immortality--if such a thing is possible.