Simple Genetics
I really need to write this before I begin to confuse myself again
Humans are diploid organisms. We have 46 strands of DNA floating around (half are mostly the same as the other half). When the “S” phase of mitosis occurs, the strands replicate each other creating sister chromatids (the normal looking chromosome). A region of DNA in the center of the two chromatids called the centromere bind the two chromatids together. During anaphase of mitosis, the 46 pairs of chromsomes (92 individual chromosomes) are ripped apart by microtubules binding to their kineticore/centromere region. The cell then splits in two and two diploid cells are produced.
In meiosis, two haploid cells (sperm + egg) fuse creating a diploid organism. The chromosomes replicate and the homologous chromosomes split. Another round of mitosis occurs as 4 haploid cells have been produced from 1 parent diploid cell.
