Word parts
What it means
A special kind of division that happens only in the ovaries and testes. One cell divides twice to make sex cells with 23 chromosomes each, so that when an egg and a sperm join, the new cell has the full 46. Mixing of genes during meiosis is why siblings differ. Errors in separating chromosomes can cause conditions such as trisomy 21.
Remember it
MEiosis makes Eggs and sperm, with half the chromosomes; miTosis makes Two identical body cells.
At a glance
| Spanish | meiosis |
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Easy to confuse with
mitosis
Cell division that makes two new cells, each with the same full set of chromosomes as the original.
Related terms
chromosome
A thread-like structure in the nucleus of a cell that carries the genes, made of tightly packed DNA.
ovum
An egg cell: the female reproductive cell that can join with a sperm to start a pregnancy.
trisomy
Having three copies of a chromosome instead of the usual two.
mitosis
Cell division that makes two new cells, each with the same full set of chromosomes as the original.