the.com/meiosis
Cell division that halves your chromosomes so your kid isn't a clone with extra steps.
means The type of cell division that produces sperm and eggs, each carrying only half the usual number of chromosomes so that when two combine, the count comes out right.
from From Greek 'meiosis' meaning diminishment or lessening, from 'meioun' (to make smaller), itself from 'meion' (less). The same Greek root gives us the rhetorical term 'meiosis' for understatement — fittingly, since this cell division is literally understating the chromosome count, cutting it in half before fertilization restores the full number.
- divisions
- two rounds, one duplication — four cells from one
- produces
- sperm, eggs, and the genetic shuffle that makes siblings different
- crossing over
- chromosomes swap chunks before splitting, scrambling your DNA deck
- error cost
- mistakes here cause most miscarriages and Down syndrome