Mitosis
Cells divide to make more. When a cell divides into 2 new cells, ½ of the material of the “parent” cell ends up in each new “daughter” cell. Since there is only one parent, this is a form of asexual reproduction.
The regular process of cells growing and dividing is called the cell cycle. A cell can’t just divide in half. If it did, the new cells would only have half of the parent cell’s genetic material (DNA). DNA is a cell instructions for how to properly make protein. If a cell only had ½ the DNA, it wouldn’t be able to function properly. Therefore a cell has to make a copy of its DNA before it can divide.
Cell Division = Mitosis Cell division occurs in a series of stages or phases: Interphase Prophase Metaphase Anaphase Telophase Cytokinesis I prefer milk and two cookies!
1st: Interphase (growth) Interphase is the stage a cell is in most of the time. This the time before cell division. The cell doubles in size during this stage.
During interphase… The cell makes a copy of the DNA in its nucleus. This is called DNA replication.
2nd: Prophase (pair) Once the DNA has been copied, the chromosomes pair up. They attach together at the center.
Also, the nucleus loses its membrane.
3rd: Metaphase (middle) The chromosomes line up across the middle of the cell.
4th: Anaphase (apart) The chromosomes split and move to opposite ends of the cell.
5th: Telophase (two) Chromosomes have reached the 2 ends of the cell. A new nucleus starts to form around them. The cell starts to pinch in two.
6th : Cytokinesis (cut) The cell membrane pinches in around the middle and eventually forms 2 separate cells. Each daughter cell ends up with the same number of identical chromosomes.