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Genes and inheritance

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DNA replication and mitosis

How a cell divides - mitosis

 

Mitosis is the process by which a cell divides to produce two identical daughter cells, also known as clones.

  • Firstly, every chromosome makes a copy of itself and each new pair is then called a pair of sister chromatids. The process of copying the DNA within a cell is known as DNA replication.
  • Then the membrane of the nucleus dissolves so that the chromatids spill out into the rest of the cell.
  • They then line up across the middle of the cell and the sister chromatids are pulled apart to opposite ends of the cell.
  • Now they are called chromosomes again and each set becomes enclosed in a new nuclear membrane.
  • Eventually the mother cell splits into two giving rise to two daughter cells each with the same set of chromosomes as the original cell.