Enlarge / 3D rendering of an NK Cell destroying a cancer cell. (credit: https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/cell-destroying-a-cancer-cell-royalty-free-image/1250270667) Billions of cells die in your body every day. Some go out with a bang, others with a whimper. They can die by accident if they’re injured or infected. Alternatively, should they outlive their natural lifespan or start to fail, they can carefully arrange for a desirable demise, with their remains neatly tidied away. Originally, scientists thought those were the only two ways an animal cell could die, by accident or by that neat-and-tidy version.