Cervical cancer cells dividing, coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM). The cervix is the lower part of the womb, also called the neck of the womb, and comprises part of the woman's reproductive system. Cervical cancer is more common in younger women. One of the main causes of cervical cancer is a persistent infection of certain types of human papilloma virus (HPV). The cells in this image are HeLa cells, a cultured cell line that was derived from a biopsy of a cervical tumour in 1951 from Henrietta Lacks who sadly died of cervical cancer in October 1951 aged just 31. HeLa cells are an immortal cell line which means that they are able to divide perpetually. HeLa cells also grow easily and rapidly in culture which, along with their immortality, makes them ideal for many areas of biological, medical and molecular research. In this image the cells are undergoing cytokinesis which is the physical process of cell division which divides the parental cell into two daughter cells. : x1600 when printed at 10 centimetres wide.