By sacrificing a few healthy cells, animals ensure normal growth and development and can thwart disease. Every moment of every day, some of the cells in your body are killing themselves so that you can live.
Cell suicide is a routine, essential process.
It's how tadpoles lose their tails and how babies develop fingers and toes. It's how our bodies stymie tumors and fight back viral invasions. It's the garbage collection system that eliminates diseased or unnecessary cells, such as milk-secreting mammary cells after a baby is weaned. Sacrifice a few cells for the health and development of the organism. That's why Lois Miller, a UGA Research Professor of Genetics and Entomology and a fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, has devoted the past seven years to the study of cell suicide, which has become one of the hottest topics in cell biology.