Year of Production: 2007
Running Times: The Dynamics and Mechanics of Mitosis: 26 minutes
Mitosis in Diatoms: 16 minutes
Experiments on Mitotic Cells: 18 minutes
Accompanied by Instructor's Guide

This colorful and dramatic DVD reveals the events of mitosis at a level of detail usually seen only in research laboratories.

Every time a living cell divides, it undergoes the process of mitosis during which dozens - sometimes hundreds - of jumbled chromosomes are individually organized into the metaphase configuration; then the chromosomes split and are separated into two equal groups with absolute fidelity. How this extraordinary process is accomplished is still poorly understood. This DVD shows in several types of living cells how the spindle machinery becomes organized and how the chromosomes attach and respond to it.

The DVD includes two Appendices: The first analyses mitosis in a classical system, the diatom cell; not only are these spindles uniquely well organized, but the mitotic cycle is precisely integrated with the major morphogenetic events inside the cell that accompany every cell division. The second Appendix demonstrates several types of experiments on living cells which illustrate why the mechanisms involved in chromosome movement are so difficult to define and understand.