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Cell division

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Cell division is a process by which a cell, called the parent cell, divides into two or more cells, called daughter cells. Cell division is usually a small segment of a larger cell cycle. This type of cell division in eukaryotes is known as mitosis, and leaves the daughter cell capable of dividing again. The corresponding sort of cell division in prokaryotes is known as binary fission. In another type of cell division present only in eukaryotes, called meiosis, a cell is permanently transformed into a gamete and cannot divide again until fertilization. For simple unicellular organisms such as the amoeba, one cell division is equivalent to reproduction-- an entire new organism is created. On a larger scale, mitotic cell division can create progeny from multicellular organisms, such as plants that grow from cuttings. Cell division also enables sexually reproducing organisms to develop from the one-celled zygote, which itself was produced by cell division from gametes. And after growth, cell division allows for continual construction and repair of the organism. A human being's body experiences about 10,000 trillion cell divisions in a lifetime.

The primary concern of cell division is the maintenance of the original cell's genome. Before division can occur, the genomic information which is stored in chromosomes must be replicated, and the duplicated genome separated cleanly between cells. A great deal of cellular infrastructure is involved in keeping genomic information consistent between "generations".

For more information about Cell division, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.


News tagged with cell division


Long-term physical activity has an anti-aging effect at the cellular level

Medicine & Health / Health

created Nov 30, 2009 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Intensive exercise prevented shortening of telomeres, a protective effect against aging of the cardiovascular system, according to research reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.


New international study targets rare cancer bringing hope for advanced thymic cancer patients

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Dec 08, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Dec. 8, 2009 — The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and Scottsdale Healthcare are testing a new drug specifically for thymic cancer based on early promising results at Scottsdale Healthcare.





Search results for cell division


As shuttle's career nears an end, NASA turns focus to satellites

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Dec 26, 2009 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (8) | comments 2

NASA heads into 2010 with the bittersweet assignment of retiring the space shuttle after nearly three decades. But that's not all the agency has planned: There are also launches of three new satellites aimed at better understanding ...


Researcher finds success with new anti-cancer drug

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Dec 22, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 0

A study conducted at Scott & White Healthcare in Temple, Texas, found that a new drug stopped the growth of breast tumors in mice. This drug is unique in that it works both by stopping the cancer cells from growing and metastasizing ...


Enzyme necessary for development of healthy immune system

Medicine & Health / Research

created Dec 22, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Mice without the deoxycytidine kinase (dCK) enzyme have defects in their adaptive immune system, producing very low levels of both T and B lymphocytes, the major players involved in immune response, according to a study by ...


Gene for devastating kidney disease discovered

Medicine & Health / Genetics

created Dec 22, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers from Children's Hospital Boston and Brigham and Women's Hospital have identified an important genetic cause of a devastating kidney disease that is the second leading cause of kidney failure in ...


Study shows immune system protein involved in reprogramming adult cells to express stem cell genes

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Dec 22, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have discovered a protein required to quickly and efficiently reprogram human skin cells to express embryonic stem cell genes.


Drug for Multiple Myeloma Demonstrated to Significantly Extend Disease-Free Survival

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Dec 21, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Initial results from a large, randomized clinical trial for patients with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow, showed that patients who received the oral drug lenalidomide (Revlimid, also ...


Pores finding reveals targets for cancer and degenerative disease

Pores finding reveals targets for cancer and degenerative disease

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Dec 18, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Walter and Eliza Hall Institute scientists have identified a key step in the biological process of programmed cell death, also called apoptosis.


New insight into selective binding properties of infectious HIV

Medicine & Health / HIV & AIDS

created Dec 15, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Free infectious HIV-1 is widely thought to be the major form of the virus in the blood of infected persons. U.S. Military HIV Research Program (MHRP) researchers, however, have demonstrated that essentially all of the infectious ...


Controlling key enzyme in brain offers clue for future obesity treatment

Controlling key enzyme in brain offers clue for future obesity treatment

Medicine & Health / Research

created Dec 15, 2009 | popularity 1 / 5 (1) | comments 1

The Sirt1 enzyme in the body has generated enormous attention as a possible secret to living longer. Some scientists believe that fasting and drinking wine appear to aid in this quest because both likely activate ...


Watermelon: Fruit on the Fast Track

Watermelon: Fruit on the Fast Track

Biology / Biotechnology

created Dec 14, 2009 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are studying how watermelons grow from tiny flowers to plus-size, market-ready produce in only five weeks. Their findings have resulted in the ...



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