Cell Division and Meiosis

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What is crossing-over?

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Crossing-over is the process during meiosis where homologous chromosomes exchange genetic material, increasing genetic variation in gametes.

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What is sexual reproduction?

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Sexual reproduction is a biological process that involves the combination of genetic material from two parents, resulting in offspring with genetic variation.

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What is independent assortment?

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Independent assortment is the random distribution of maternal and paternal chromosomes into gametes during meiosis, contributing to genetic diversity.

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What are the products of meiosis?

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The products of meiosis are genetically different cells, specifically gametes (sperm and egg cells).

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How many chromosomes do human sperm and egg cells have?

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Human sperm and egg cells each have 23 chromosomes.

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What is the total number of chromosomes in a fertilized human egg cell?

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A fertilized human egg cell has 46 chromosomes, as it combines the 23 chromosomes from the sperm and 23 from the egg.

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What is nondisjunction?

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Nondisjunction is the failure of homologous chromosomes or sister chromatids to separate properly during cell division, leading to an abnormal number of chromosomes in the daughter cells.

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What are gametes?

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Gametes are sex cells (sperm and egg) that carry half the genetic information of an organism.

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What are somatic cells?

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Somatic cells are all body cells except for gametes; they contain the full set of chromosomes (46 in humans).

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What is mitosis?

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Mitosis is the process of cell division that results in two identical daughter cells, each with the same number of chromosomes as the parent cell.