Cell division is the mechanism by which DNA is passed from one generation of cells to the next and ultimately, from parent organisms to their offspring. Although eukaryotes and prokaryotes both engage ...

All living cells must grow and divide in order to multiply. The multiplication of bacteria normally occurs through so-called binary fission. This makes particularly rapid growth possible and is the ...

Before a cell commits fully to the process of dividing itself into two new cells, it may ensure the appropriateness of its commitment by staying for many hours - sometimes more than a day - in a ...

For successful cell division, chromosomal DNA needs to be packed into compact rod-shaped structures. Defects in this process can lead to cell death or diseases like cancer. A new study has shown how ...

Cell division is an essential process for all life on Earth, yet the exact mechanisms by which cells divide during early embryonic development have remained elusive—particularly for egg-laying species ...

Before cells can divide, they first need to replicate all of their chromosomes, so that each of the daughter cells can receive a full set of genetic material. Until now, scientists had believed that ...

When we talk about memories in biology, we tend to focus on the brain and the storage of information in neurons. But there are lots of other memories that persist within our cells. Cells remember ...

Abnormal chromosomes can present challenges during cell division. A new study shines light on how this dysfunctional process may produce mutational patterns commonly found in cancer cells. Every time ...

Ichthyosporeans Sphaeroforma arctica and Chromosphaera perkinsii undergoing mitosis, depicted as two halves of a cell, rendered in Haeckel-inspired tones and a naturalist style. Cell division is one ...

A mathematical model shows how a thermodynamic mechanism could have made protocells split in two. An elegant ballet of proteins enables modern cells to replicate themselves. During cell division, ...

Animals and fungi predominantly use two different modes of cell division -- called open and closed mitosis, respectively. A new study has shown that different species of Ichthyosporea -- marine ...