Why don't you look exactly like your parents? Because you are a product of sexual reproduction rather than asexual reproduction. The resulting blend of characteristics you display may include traits of both parents, for example, your father's eyes or your mother's nose.
Sexual reproduction requires two parents, each donating their genetic material to the offspring. For this process to be successful, specialized cells must be produced. These cells are called gametes or sex cells, and they contain only half the number of chromosomes as a regular cell.
The process that forms these half sets (called haploid cells) is called meiosis. As you go through this lesson compare meiosis to mitosis.
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