• Question: hello, can a cell multiply 3 times at once?

    Asked by puggy1 to Louise S on 20 Nov 2012.
    • Photo: Louise Stanley

      Louise Stanley answered on 20 Nov 2012:

      Hi Puggy,

      As far as I am aware all cells (apart from your germ cells – sperm and eggs) divide in a process referred to as mitosis – this is where all the DNA in the cell (46 chromosomes) is duplicated by DNA replication – all this DNA then needs to be separated equally so each cell contains the same information – this is achieved by mitosis. So one “mother” cell produces two daughter cells (the content of these cells is referred so as diploid – i.e. two copies of each chromosome). Cell division of sperm and egg cells (germline) is different and the process is called meiosis and produces haploid cells (only carry one copy of each chromosome).

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