How does meiosis occur?
Meiosis begins with one cell, called a germ cell (because it specifically makes gametes). As this germ cell prepares to divide, it replicates its genetic material, in the same way that this occurs before mitosis. The germ cell is going to have to go through two cell divisions in order to get from having double the genetic information within it to having only half the normal amount of genetic information within it. Our cells have two copies of every type of chromosome. Chromosome number is typically represented by “N.” We have two of every chromosome because we get one of each chromosome type from our mothers and one from our fathers. Therefore, we have “2N” chromosomes, which just means two of every type. N = 23 in humans, since we have 23 different types of chromosomes… and because we are 2N, we actually have 46 chromosomes in every cell. Organisms and cells with 2 copies of every chromosome type are called diploid, while those with only one of every chromosome type are called haplo
