Comparison of Mitosis and Meiosis
By Tessa
| Topic: | Both: | Mitosis: | Meiosis: |
| Amount of chromosomes | Create new sets of chromosomes | Makes two sets of chromosomes | Makes one set of chromosomes so sperm and egg cells can combine to create normal amount of chromosomes |
| Genes in cells | Have genes from original cell. | Exact copy of the original cell. | Has half of genes from original cell |
| Dividing Results in |
New cells from old cells | One cell division with two daughter cells with full chromosomes |
Two cell divisions with four daughter cells with half chromosomes |
| Purpose |
Creating New Cells | Creating all the rest of body cells. Every other cell in the human body is created by mitosis. | Creating sex cells- the female egg and the male sperm |
Sources:
A PBS site detailing differences. Also has a good animation link.