Docs Change the Way They Think About Death | Newsweek Health | Newsweek.com

Docs Change the Way They Think About Death | Newsweek Health | Newsweek.com: "Biologists are still grappling with the implications of this new view of cell death—not passive extinguishment, like a candle flickering out when you cover it with a glass, but an active biochemical event triggered by 'reperfusion,' the resumption of oxygen supply. The research takes them deep into the machinery of the cell, to the tiny membrane-enclosed structures known as mitochondria where cellular fuel is oxidized to provide energy. Mitochondria control the process known as apoptosis, the programmed death of abnormal cells that is the body's primary defense against cancer. 'It looks to us,' says Becker, 'as if the cellular surveillance mechanism cannot tell the difference between a cancer cell and a cell being reperfused with oxygen. Something throws the switch that makes the cell die.'"

Intriguing article on cell death after the reintroduction of oxygen.