The Scanning Near-field Optical Microscope ( SNOM) is able to detect tiny vertical movement on the cell membrane in the range of only 1 nanometer or less, about 3 orders of magnitude better than conventional optical microscopes. Here we show intriguing data of cell membrane nanometer-scale dynamics associated to different phenomena of the cell's life, such as cell cycle and cell death, on rat pheochromocytoma line PC12. Working in culture medium with alive and unperturbed samples, we could detect nanometer-sized movements; Fourier components revealed a clear distinct behavior associated to regulation of neurite outgrowth and changes on morphology after necrotic stimulus. (c) 2007 Optical Society of America.