Sexual Reproduction

• Sexual reproduction involves the fusion of gametes (sperm and egg) from two parents to form a genetically diverse offspring.
• Genetic variation in offspring is the result of the unique combination of genes from both parents
• During fertilization, a sperm cell (from the father) and an egg cell (from the mother) join together to create a new cell called a zygote. This new cell now has the full set of 46 chromosomes, 23 from each parent.
• During fertilization, each parent produce a gamete, as either an egg, (female), or sperm, (male), cells. These cells are haploid, meaning they each have one set of chromosomes, or 23 chromosomes
• Zygote: The cell formed by the fusion of a sperm and egg during fertilization, which develops into a new organism
• Meiosis: The process of cell division that produces gametes (sperm and egg) with half the usual number of chromosomes.
• Nucleotides are the building blocks of DNA and RNA. They consist of a sugar molecule, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base.
• The four types of nucleotide bases found in DNA are adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C), and guanine (G). In RNA, uracil (U) replaces thymine.
• In DNA, C always pairs with G through hydrogen bonds between complementary bases.
• In DNA, A always pairs with T through hydrogen bonds between complementary bases.