Apoptosis
Your body kills 50-70 billion cells per day through apoptosis - it's not failure, it's maintenance.
Your body kills 50-70 billion cells per day through apoptosis. It's not failure - it's maintenance.
Your body produces 50-70 billion new cells every day through division. To maintain constant cell numbers, it must also eliminate 50-70 billion cells every day. Most of these deaths are deliberate, controlled, programmed. This is *apoptosis* - cellular suicide for the good of the organism.
Apoptosis isn't violent. The cell systematically disassembles itself. It condenses its chromosomes, fragments its DNA, packages everything into membrane-bound vesicles, and signals nearby immune cells to come clean up. Within hours, there's no trace of the cell. No inflammation, no mess, no damage to neighboring cells.
When does a cell undergo apoptosis?
- When it's damaged beyond repair (DNA breaks, toxic exposure) - When it's no longer needed (cells between developing fingers are eliminated, leaving gaps) - When it's infected with a virus (preventing spread) - When it's pre-cancerous (eliminating potentially dangerous cells) - When it's old and worn out (natural turnover)
The cell "decides" to die based on internal and external signals. Too much stress, too much damage, wrong location, wrong signals from neighbors - all can trigger apoptosis. And the cell carries out its own destruction. This requires energy. A dead cell (necrosis) is different from an apoptotic cell. Necrosis is failure. Apoptosis is intentional.
Business Application of Apoptosis
Your body kills 50-70 billion cells per day through apoptosis - it's not failure, it's maintenance. Companies need the same capability: the ability to shut down product lines, divest divisions, and exit markets in a controlled way. IBM's strategic divestitures show healthy apoptosis. Blockbuster's bankruptcy shows necrosis. The difference is whether death is controlled and strategic or chaotic and destructive.