Phase: Interphase
This scene animates a human-like cell running through the full mitotic sequence: prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase, before splitting into two daughter cells. In a real cell the entire cycle takes roughly 24 hours, yet mitosis itself occupies only about 1 hour of that: prophase ~30-60 min as chromatin condenses into visible chromosomes and the nuclear envelope breaks down, metaphase ~20 min (the shortest phase) as chromosomes line up on the equatorial "metaphase plate", anaphase just ~2-3 min as spindle microtubules pull sister chromatids apart at roughly 1-2 micrometers per minute (the fastest phase), and telophase ~10 min as two new nuclear envelopes reform. A real human cell carries 46 chromosomes (23 pairs) that must each duplicate and separate with near-perfect fidelity, guided by the mitotic spindle built from microtubules radiating from opposite poles. This simulation uses a simplified set of 6 chromosomes for clarity, but the choreography mirrors the real process.