| The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. 2002. |
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| apoptosis |
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| (ap-uhp-TOH-sis) The programmed death of a cell. Scientists believe that this process is governed by chemical signals a given cell receives from its neighbors. | 1 |
| ‡ It is thought some forms of cancer may result when this process of cell death is somehow interrupted, allowing cells to grow unchecked, with the result being a cancerous tumor. | 2 |
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| | | The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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