Unlike the cell division that occurs with cancer, most of the reasons for cell division are positive and helpful to the organisms where those cells reside. Babies do not remain babies--but gradually grow into adults--because their cells are constantly dividing. Use the information on the tabs below to learn more about when and why cells divide in a healthy organism.
Growth
Regeneration
Repair
You--and everyone you know--started out as a single cell, a zygote. The zygote divided into two cells, and then the two cells become four cells. This went on until there were trillions of cells. As a result of cell division, you grew into a baby, and then a child, and then a young adult.
Perhaps you've seen a lizard without a tail scurrying around your house or garden. As a result of cell division, some organisms such as many lizards can actually "grow" new body parts. This starfish is "re-growing" some of its legs, a process that is possible because of cell division. Some parts of humans, such as skin, also regenerate, or get replaced, due to cell division.
How did the wound on this man's arm heal? Dead or damaged skin cells around the wound were replaced by new cells. The scar that remains after a cut heals is "evidence" of the body's use of rapid cell division to repair itself.
Question
After reading the content on this page, what would you say is a cell's primary goal?
