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Human cells that keep dividing To study cell division for medical and other purposes, biologists need human cells that continue to divide in culture in the laboratory. In 1951, researchers at Johns Hopkins University tried to culture a line of cells that would continue to live and multiply. Every cell sample they tried died out in a few weeks, because normal mammalian cells will divide only 20-50 times in culture before they die. Finally, cells from one sample kept dividing week after week, and eventually, year after year. These were called HeLa cells after their original source, a young Baltimore woman named Henrietta Lacks. The sample had been taken from a malignant tumor in her body. Unfortunately, she died a few months later, but HeLa cells have been grown since that time in laboratories around the world.
Sea UrchinEmbryoCellDivision Zebrafish development from 1 cell to hatching – 48 hours
Life Spans of Human Cells White blood cells help protect the body from infection and disease-producing organisms. How might their function relate to their life span? Based on the data, how are the consequences of injuries to the heart and spinal cord similar to each other? How are they different from the consequences of injuries to smooth muscle?