In theory this can benefit damaged, blood-starved tissue, which conventional red cells cannot reach.

The choice of which destination state the cell will reach is determined by the sequence of input signals.

But as infected cells reach the skin surface, he said, the second pair of genes turns off and yet another pair is activated.

The cell eventually reaches megakaryocyte stage and loses its ability to divide.

Once such cells reach a certain minimum size, rather than simply divide, they reverse this decline by forming an auxospore.

When a cell reached the head of the queue it was removed and opened, chips being pulled out one at a time as needed.

However, when the cell reaches full charge, most of the charging energy is converted to heat.

As underlying cells reach the skin's surface and die, their sheer volume causes raised, red plaques covered with white scale.

Another cell, this one hexagonal and high-domed, reached seven meters into the rock.