Cell Division

1. Reasons for Cell Division

1.1. cells divide to replace old, dead, or damaged cells

1.2. Cells also divide so living things can grow

2. How do cells know when to divide?

2.1. Cells regulate their division by communicating with each other using chemical signals from special proteins called cyclins. These signals act like switches to tell cells when to start dividing and later when to stop dividing.

3. How many cells are in your body?

3.1. By the time you are an adult, you will have trillions of cells. That number depends on the size of the person, but biologists put that number around 37 trillion cells.

4. Two Types of Cell Division

4.1. Mitosis

4.1.1. Mitosis is a type of cell division that results in two daughter cells each having the same number and kind of chromosomes as the parent nucleus, typical of ordinary tissue growth.

4.2. Meiosis

4.2.1. Meiosis is a type of cell division that reduces the number of chromosomes in the parent cell by half and produces four gamete cells. This process is required to produce egg and sperm cells for sexual reproduction.

5. What is Cell Division?

5.1. Cell division is the process by which a parent cell divides into two or more daughter cells. Cell division usually occurs as part of a larger cell cycle.