Scientists identify over 20 distinct forms of cell death, including newly named 'alkaliptosis'

Researchers led by Daolin Tang discovered a novel form of cell death, dubbed alkaliptosis, triggered when a cell's internal pH becomes unusually high rather than through known mechanisms like necrosis or apoptosis. This finding is part of a broader wave of research since 1999 that has expanded the catalog of known cell-death pathways from two classical types to roughly 20 distinct processes, thanks to advances in gene editing, imaging and omics technologies.