Henrietta Lacks was the first human being that we know of to get close enough to 'immortality' to touch it. She died more than 50 years ago but her cells live on.
'HeLa' cells were the first human cells to be grown for research, and have been vital in medical advances since the 1950s.
But what fascinated science major Rebecca Skloot the most about these cells, was how little was known about the woman behind the name.
So she set out to discover who Henrietta Lacks really was.
Further information
First broadcast in July, 2010.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is published by Picador.
Rebecca's book was turned into a film starring Oprah Winfrey.
You can learn more about Henrietta online.
You can also hear Richard's full conversation with Helen Macdonald on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.
You can also read all about the Conversations origin story on the ABC News website.
This episode of Conversations explores science, science communication, weird science, female scientists, modern history, medicine, medical history, medical research, cells, cancer, curing disease.
