Combined ScienceCode 5129
Nuclear division
What this topic asks you to be able to do
- Understand that DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is found within chromosomes, and that this molecule carries genetic information, taking the form of genes
- State that a gene is a particular stretch of DNA holding the code required to produce a given protein, typically an enzyme
- State that in most cells the nucleus is diploid, holding two sets of chromosomes, while human cells have 23 pairs of chromosomes
- Describe mitosis as nuclear division that yields genetically identical cells while the chromosome number stays constant (stage-by-stage detail is not needed).
- Outline what part mitosis plays in growth, in mending damaged tissue and in replacing cells that die
- State that meiosis takes part in making gametes, and that in humans it happens only in the testes and ovaries.
- Describe meiosis as a reduction division that cuts the chromosome number in half, from diploid to haploid, producing cells that differ genetically (stage details are not required).