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🔬 Mitosis and Meiosis

One division keeps your chromosome count; two divisions halve it for gametes. Learn to read the X, spot homologs, and ask what a figure is for.

lessons

~16 min

to learn

🔬 Science

subject

Adults

level

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What you’ll learn

Same count, more cellsExplain why mitosis keeps chromosome number while making more body cells.Mitosis is one nuclear division after DNA replication. Daughters keep the parent chromosome count for growth and repair.
Read the XDistinguish sister chromatids from homologous chromosomes on a diagram.The X shape is two sister chromatids joined after replication, not a maternal–paternal pair. Sisters separate in mitosis.
Halve and shuffleDescribe how meiosis halves chromosome number and creates new allele combinations.One replication, two divisions. Homologs separate in meiosis I; sisters in meiosis II. Crossing over and independent assortment reshuffle genomes.
Ask what the division is forCompare mitosis and meiosis by purpose, products, and chromosome math before naming a diagram.Same spindle toolkit, different jobs. Score purpose, division count, ploidy, and similarity — then go test a textbook figure.

Questions this course answers

Which process usually produces haploid products after two divisions?

Meiosis uses one DNA replication and two divisions to yield haploid gametes (or spores).

What does the classic X-shaped chromosome in a mitosis drawing usually represent?

After replication, two sister chromatids joined at a centromere look like an X; homologs are a pair of separate chromosomes.

When do homologous chromosomes separate from each other?

Homologs separate in meiosis I; sister chromatids separate in meiosis II (and in mitosis).

Why must gametes be haploid before fertilization?

Two haploid sets reunite at fertilization to rebuild a diploid zygote.

Which pair of processes most directly creates new allele combinations in meiosis?

Recombination between homologs and random orientation of pairs reshuffle parental combinations.

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