Question

What is the significance of meiosis? How does meiosis differ from mitosis?

Answer 1

Meiosis is the process by which sexually reproducing organisms make their sex cells, sperm and eggs. During meiosis, a specialized cell called a germ cell splits to make four new sex cells, each with half the number of chromosomes as the original germ cell. Each of the four sex cells has a unique combination of DNA, meaning no two sperm or eggs are genetically identical.

Criteria	Mitosis	Meiosis
Type of Reproduction	Asexual	Sexual
Number of Divisions	One	Two
Number of Daughter Cells produced	2 diploid cells	4 haploid cells
Chromosome Number	Remains the same	Reduced to half