Question

How does a zygote become a blastocyst?

Answer 1

Blastocyst:

1. Zygote is formed after the fertilization of male sperm and female egg.
2. The zygote begins to get cleaved and mitotically divide (One parent cell gets halved to give rise to two daughter cells).
3. Zygote differentiates into the early developing embryo comprising of 6-10 cells.
4. After 5-6 days, and successive mitotic divisions the embryo forms a cluster of small nucleated cells called blastomeres.
5. The blastocyst contains around 100 blastomeres which is a rapidly dividing ball of cells.