The article informs that autophagy, the process whereby cells begin to self digest, has long been suspected to aid organismal survival in times of trouble. Because the stimuli for apoptosis and autophagy often overlap, it has been difficult to identify the crucial factors that induce autophagy. During autophagy, parts of the cytoplasm and organelles are encapsulated by intracellular vesicles called autophagosomes, which then fuse with lysosomes and are degraded.