This episode details the life and legacy of Henrietta Lacks, an African-American woman whose cancer cells were harvested without her knowledge in 1951. These samples created the HeLa cell line, the first "immortal" human cells capable of reproducing indefinitely for laboratory study. While her genetic material led to monumental medical breakthroughs like the polio vaccine and gene mapping, the collection occurred without informed consent, sparking decades of bioethical debate. The text explores the privacy concerns faced by her descendants, who remained unaware of the cell line's existence for twenty-five years. Modern recognition of Lacks includes posthumous honors, historical markers, and legal settlements aimed at addressing the unauth ...