meiosis

• Gametes are sex cells that contain half the genetic material of a normal cell, making them haploid cells
• When two gametes combine, they form a normal cell with two sets of genetic information, known as diploid cells
• Meiosis is the process by which cells undergo to produce gametes
• Chromosomes contain genetic information and humans have 23 different types of chromosomes, with two copies of each, one from the mother (maternal chromosomes) and one from the father (paternal chromosomes)
• During meiosis, the first step is to replicate all of the cell's DNA, forming X-shaped chromosomes with one original chromosome and one copy
• Chromosomes then line up in pairs along the center of the cell, with the left-to-right order being random, ensuring a different combination of maternal and paternal chromosomes in each cell
• In the first division, chromosome pairs are pulled apart and the cell splits in two, resulting in two cells with different combinations of chromosomes
• In the second division, the two arms of each chromosome are pulled to opposite sides of the cell, leading to the formation of four genetically unique cells called gametes
• These gametes can develop into sperm cells in male animals and egg cells in females
• When a sperm and egg fuse during fertilization, they form a diploid cell that can divide by mitosis to develop into an embryo, fetus, and fully grown organism