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- Purpose of Meiosis:
Meiosis is the process that creates sex cells (sperm and egg).
Meiosis is essential for sexual reproduction and helps explain how traits are passed from parents to offspring.
It reduces the number of chromosomes by half so that when fertilization happens, the offspring gets the right number of chromosomes (half from each parent).
Body cells (like skin or muscle cells) have 23 pairs of chromosomes (diploid). 46 total chromosomes.
Sex cells have half the number of chromosomes (haploid). 23 chromosomes.
Genetic Variation:
Genetic Variation:
Meiosis leads to genetic diversity because of the way chromosomes are shuffled and separated.
In addition to independent assortment, chromosomes can shuffle genetic information with a process called "crossing over."
This is why siblings can look different even though they have the same parents.
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