Question: how would you divide cells???

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  1. Hi natelienicolelouise1997, I’ve done experiments with cancer cells and there’s no problem getting those to divide! that’s one of the main things that makes a cancer cell different to a normal cell – they just keep on dividing with no checks or stops.

    But even normal cells can divide by themselves – its a part of normal growth and development and happens all the time in your body. Like in the lining of your intestines, the cells get damaged and worn out by all the movement and food going through. To keep the intestines healthy, the cells keep dividing so there are always fresh, new ones to do the job.

    In the lab, there are some tricks we can use to make cells grow and divide faster though, like treating them with special chemicals called “growth factors”. These growth factors exist in your body naturally, we just put extra on the cells sometimes to make them grow!

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  2. Hi natelienicolelouise1997,

    Since Kate has already pretty much dealt with the biology, I’ll just make the remark that in science a ‘cell’ can also be what in everyday life is also called a battery (an “electrochemical cell”, like what you put in your TV remote control or mobile phone), or a “fuel cell”, which is similar and will probably be used instead of today’s engines to power cars in the future.

    Unlike biological cells, however, if you divide a cell in two you are left with half a cell, and that doesn’t work at all anymore!

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