IntroductionAs creatures of light, it is natural for us to fear the dark unknown of death. However, if we only knew how prevalent death is in our lives, perhaps we wouldn't be so scared or disgusted by it. Because it is death that keeps our bodies functioning functionally and gives organ systems physical definition, allowing them to function properly. The building blocks of our body, the cells, are alive and constantly growing, and if they continued to do so unabated, our organ systems would enlarge and deform and we, as a unified organism, would die. Therefore, our cells regularly commit suicide through programmed cell death, more commonly called apoptosis; this is done to eliminate excess cells to make way for new ones, or when cells begin to malfunction and do not want to reproduce. Apoptosis should not be confused with its opposite, cell necrosis, which is another death system that kicks in when cells and tissues suffer trauma, and is highly irregular, as opposed to regulated apoptosis. Each death system has its own purposes in the body, and the interruption of these small deaths can ultimately lead to the death of the entire organism: life is not simply followed by death, but is supported by it. The process of apoptosis is a fairly recent medical discovery process, as intense research had only begun in the late 1900s, leading Doctors Brenner, Horvitz and Sutton to their revolutionary discoveries in the field, earning them the Nobel Prize in Medicine (Hung and Chow, 2004). Their research began in Caenorhabditis elegans, which has simpler DNA and body processes than mammals. However, it was soon discovered that the genes regulating apoptosis in the nematode are similar to those in large organs...... middle of paper ......nical and Investigative Medicine 27.6 Dec 2004: 324-44. Proquest. Network. April 5, 2014. Joza, Susin, et al. "Essential role of mitochondrial apoptosis-inducing factor in programmed cell death". Nature 410.6828 29 March 2001: 549-54. Proquest. Network. March 19, 2014.Leach, Argie P. “Apoptosis: Molecular Mechanism for Physiological Cell Death.” Clinical Laboratory Sciences 11.6 Nov./Dec. 1998: 346-9. Proquest. Network. March 19, 2014.Ola, Muhammad Shamsul, Mohd. Nawaz, Haseeb Ahsan. “Role of Bcl-2 family proteins and caspases in the regulation of apoptosis.” Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry 3511-.2 May 2011: 41-48. Proquest. Network. April 6, 2014. Zheng, Jia, et al. “Mesothelin regulates growth and apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells through the P53-dependent and -independent pathway.” Journal of Experimental and Clinical Cancer Research 31 (2012): 84. Proquest. Network. April 6 2014.