The Cell

Life Cycle of a Cell

All living things go through a life cycle, including cells. The cell's life cycle is divided into two major phases:

1. Interphase
2. M phase (Mitosis)

Mitosis is further broken down into four separate phases:

1. Prophase
2. Metaphase
3. Anaphase
4. Telophase

During its life cycle, a typical cell spends most of its time in Interphase, where it grows and carries out its particular job. At some point in its life, it is triggered to divide into two daughter cells. This cell division is called mitosis, and it takes place during the last four phases of the cell life cycle: Prophase, Metaphase, Anaphase, and Telophase. The purpose of mitosis is to copy the genetic material so that when Telophase has ended, the result is two genetically identical cells. These two cells then start their own life cycle beginning with Interphase.

Every organism has a specific number of chromosomes in its cells. All human cells (except the reproductive cells) have 46 chromosomes or 23 pairs (one set from each parent). During mitosis, each chromosome must duplicate, so that each daughter cell gets a full set of 46 chromosomes. Click on the five life cycle stages below in the order they occur to see how a cell divides. This particular cell has four chromosomes or two pairs. Click on Interphase to begin the movie. Then, click on each following phase to continue the movie.