During this process deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), also recognized as the 'molecule of life,' is accurately replicated and faithfully distributed to newly generated daughter cells. This process is divided in two main stages: the interphase, whereby a cell grows and the mitotic phase, by which cells replicate (mitosis) and divide (cytokinesis). This is, however, only conceivable because eukaryotic cells (that is, with nuclei) go through the cell cycle, a set of well-defined and tightly synchronized events.
The remarkable ability of a cell to grow and divide into two identical daughter cells underpins the success of life. Have you ever questioned how a wound heals? How does an embryo become a baby? How does a cancerous tumor grow? At the heart of these questions lies cell replication and division.
