Mitosis – HSC Biology

Imagine you are a tiny, little cell. You have a bunch of stuff inside of you, like your DNA, proteins, and all sorts of other important stuff. And let’s say you decide you want to make a copy of yourself. How would you do it?

Well, you could try to just copy everything inside of you, but that would be a lot of work, and there’s a chance you might mess something up. So instead, you decide to go through a process called mitosis.

Here’s how it works:

1. You start by getting all of your stuff organized and ready to go. You make sure everything is in the right place and everything is working properly.
2. Next, you make a little line down the middle of your body. This line is called the “equator,” and it’s going to help you divide yourself into two halves.
3. Now, you start separating all of your stuff into two piles – one for each half. You carefully divide your DNA, your proteins, and all the other things you need to make two new cells.
4. Once you have everything separated, you start building two new cells. You use all of the stuff you put into the piles to make two new cells that are exact copies of yourself.
5. Finally, when both of your new cells are complete, you split apart and become two separate cells. And voila! You’ve just gone through mitosis and made a copy of yourself.

So that’s it – that’s how mitosis works! It’s a way for cells to make copies of themselves so they can grow, repair, and do all the other things that cells need to do to keep your body running smoothly.

Interphase is not apart of meiosis or mitosis and it occurs to prepare the cell for division. The cell prepares through growing, replicating it’s DNA and preparing to divide.

Prophase is the first step in meiosis, DNA has been replicated so it pairs up at the centromere. Additionally, the chromatin in the cell is condensed and the nucleolus disappears.

Metaphase is when the chromosomes are lined up at the equator of the cell, the genetic information is at its second most condensed stage.

Anaphase involves the pulling apart of the chromosomes into sister chromatids by the spindle fibres which are protrusion from the centriol which are found at both ends of the cell. The daughter chromatids are therefore transported to opposite poles of the cell.

Telophase is the final stage in mitosis and it involves the uncoiling of chromosomes to form chromatin. Hence preparing the genetic material to direct metabolic activities for the new cells. Additionally, the spindle breaks down, and new nuclear envelopes envelop the DNA.

Additionally, cytokinesis occurs which involves the cell membrane being pinched inwards for the cell hence forming to new cells.

Mitosis results in the formation of two genetically identical cells (both diploid). This allows for an organism to grow and heal.