[Animation] - How the Cell Cycle Works

How is the cell cycle related to the primary functions of life?

Living things have the following properties: they reproduce, they maintain themselves (homeostasis), and they grow. Individual cells exhibit all of these properties as they go through the cell cycle. During interphase, cells are primarily involved with growth and maintenance during the G1 and G2 stages. Reproduction occurs in steps at different times in the cell cycle. The copying of DNA occurs during the S phase. The segregation of DNA into two identical genomes begins in prophase and is completed by the end of anaphase. Finally, cytokinesis, the actual production of two different cells occurs during telophase. These three stages are necessary for reproduction: the genetic material must be copied, the genetic material must be spatially separated, and only then can cell division occur.

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