Mitosis vs Meiosis

Do you know the difference between meiosis and mitosis? Mitosis results in the production of cells that are identicle to the parent cell where as meiosis produces cells that contain half the amount of the genetic material that the parent cell contains. Mitosis produces all kinds of cells that make up your body, for instance your skin cells. Meiosis on the other hand produces cells that become gametes (eggs and sperm).

Key differences between the process of meiosis and mitosis:

Meiosis is made up of 2 stages, meiosis I and meiosis II. Mitosis, however, is made up of only 1. The 1st stage of meiosis separates the homologous pairs of chromosomes inherited from your mom and dad. The 2nd stage of meiosis separates the sister chromatids that make up a replicated chromosome. The 2nd stage of meiosis is therefore identical to the process of mitosis! Other unique events that occur only during meiosis include crossing over - or the exchange of genetic material between homologous pairs of chromosomes. Also in meiosis, homologous pairs of chromosomes align forming a structure called a tetrad. 

Can you remember the different stages of Mitosis/Meiosis? An easy way to remember is to remember the word:

IPMAT - INTERPHASE, PROPHASE, METAPHASE, ANAPHASE, TELOPHASE

What happens at each stage?