how many hours does the cell cycle take
This helps cells to avoid the problem of getting smaller each time they divide. The entire cell cycle will take different amounts of time depending of the organism. For example, cell division in the bacteria (e.g. Escherichia coli) can take as little as 20 minutes [3]. In a single-celled yeast it takes 90-120 minutes [4]. One of the more rapidly dividing mammalian cells has a cycle that takes about 24 hours [5].