Replicating bacterial DNA relies on accordion-like folds to separate, researchers discover

When bacteria cells replicate, they do so a little differently than human cells do. They don't undergo mitosis, a splitting that involves construction of spindles to carefully separate the DNA after replication. Instead, they use a process called binary fission, which is faster and allows them to separate their circular chromosomes as they are replicated. But the end result is the same: One cell turns into two cells, each with its own copy of the DNA chromosomes.