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How do cells divide?
Reviewed by Medicinsk Expert•Last updated: 2026-10-22•Howgeneswork

How Do Cells Divide?

Cell division occurs through two distinct processes—mitosis and meiosis—each serving a specific role in creating new body cells or reproductive gametes.

Overview of Cell Division

There are two primary types of cell division: mitosis and meiosis. In common usage, the term "cell division" typically refers to mitosis, the process responsible for generating new body cells. Meiosis, conversely, is the specialized type of cell division that creates egg and sperm cells.

Mitosis: Creating Body Cells

Mitosis is a fundamental process for life. During this process, a cell duplicates all of its contents, including its chromosomes, and splits to form two identical daughter cells.

Because this process is critical to survival, the steps of mitosis are carefully controlled by specific genes. When mitosis is not regulated correctly, health problems such as cancer can result.

Meiosis: Creating Reproductive Cells

Meiosis ensures that humans maintain the same number of chromosomes in each generation. It is a two-step process that reduces the chromosome number by half—from 46 to 23—to form sperm and egg cells.

  • Chromosome Reduction: The process reduces the count from 46 to 23 chromosomes in gametes.
  • Conception: When sperm and egg cells unite at conception, each contributes 23 chromosomes, resulting in an embryo with the standard 46 chromosomes.
  • Genetic Variation: Meiosis allows for genetic variation through a process of gene shuffling while the cells are dividing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Neurons are postmitotic; they exit the cell cycle during development and express proteins that inhibit cyclin‑dependent kinases. While certain stem cells can be induced to divide, mature neurons lack the necessary machinery, and attempts to force division often lead to cell death or loss of function.
Mitosis produces two diploid daughter cells that are genetically identical to the parent cell, completing one round of chromosome replication and division. Meiosis, on the other hand, involves two successive divisions (meiosis I and II) after a single round of DNA replication, resulting in four haploid gametes that carry half the chromosome number and contain genetic recombination from the parent.
Errors such as nondisjunction or chromosome missegregation can create aneuploid daughter cells that may become cancerous. The cell cycle contains checkpoints—G1/S, G2/M, and the spindle assembly checkpoint—that monitor DNA integrity and proper spindle attachment; failure of these checkpoints allows abnormal cells to proliferate.
The full cycle (G1 → S → G2 → M) averages about 24 hours in many somatic cells, but proliferative cells such as skin keratinocytes cycle in 8–12 hours, whereas quiescent cells like hepatocytes may take 48–72 hours. The duration depends on cell type, growth signals, and environmental conditions.===
Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine

MedlinePlus brings together authoritative health information from the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other government agencies and health-related organizations.

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