Multicellular animals are confronted daily with death and its consequences, at least at the cellular level. Cells die from wear and tear, as a part of differentiation and selection, and through mechanisms that provide for normal cellular turnover. Cells usually die by apoptosis, a death process that is controlled by intrinsic cellular mechanisms. But, in cases of severe injury, cells may instead undergo necrosis (a 'passive' death resulting in cellular lysis). Under both circumstances, the dead cells are rapidly cleared from the body, but each leaves imprints of its passing that can have long-term consequences. Dead cells do tell tales, and one way in which they do so is described by Fadok and colleagues on page 85 of this issue.
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