Cell division is the process by which a parent celldivides into two or more daughter cells.

Cell
divisionusually occurs as part of a larger cell cycle. ... Prokaryotes (bacteria) undergo a vegetative cell
division known as binary fission, where their genetic material is segregated equally into two daughter cells.

Mitosis Cell Division

Mitosis is how somatic—or non-reproductive cells—divide. Somatic cells make up most of your body's tissues
and organs, including skin, muscles, lungs, gut, and hair cells. Reproductive cells (like eggs) are not somatic
cells.

In mitosis, the important thing to remember is that the daughter cells each have the same chromosomes and
DNA as the parent cell. The daughter cells from mitosis are called diploid cells. Diploid cells have two
complete sets of chromosomes. Since the daughter cells have exact copies of their parent cell's DNA, no
genetic diversity is created through mitosis in normal healthy cells.

Mitosis cell division creates two genetically identical daughter diploid cells. The major steps of mitosis are
shown here. (Image by Mysid from Science Primer and National Center for Biotechnology Information)

The Mitosis Cell Cycle

Before a cell starts dividing, it is in the "Interphase." It seems that cells must be constantly dividing (remember there are 2
trillion cell divisions in your body every day), but each cell actually spends most of its time in the interphase. Interphase is
the period when a cell is getting ready to divide and start the cell cycle. During this time, cells are gathering nutrients and
energy. The parent cell is also making a copy of its DNA to share equally between the two daughter cells.

The mitosis division process has several steps or phases of the cell cycle—interphase, prophase, prometaphase,
metaphase, anaphase, telophase, and cytokinesis—to successfully make the new diploid cells.

The mitosis cell cycle includes several phases that result in two new diploid daughter cells. Each phase is
highlighted here and shown by light microscopy with fluorescence. Click on the image to learn more about each
phase. (Image from OpenStax College with modified work by Mariana Ruiz Villareal, Roy van Heesheen, and
the Wadsworth Center.)
When a cell divides during mitosis, some organelles are divided between the two daughter cells. For example,
mitochondria are capable of growing and dividing during the interphase, so the daughter cells each have enough
mitochondria. The Golgi apparatus, however, breaks down before mitosis and reassembles in each of the new
daughter cells. Many of the specifics about what happens to organelles before, during and after cell division are
currently being researched.

Meiosis Cell Division

Meiosis is the other main way cells divide. Meiosis is cell division that creates sex cells, like female egg cells or
male sperm cells. What is important to remember about meiosis? In meiosis, each new cell contains a unique
set of genetic information. After meiosis, the sperm and egg cells can join to create a new organism.

Meiosis is why we have genetic diversity in all sexually reproducing organisms. During meiosis, a small portion
of each chromosome breaks off and reattaches to another chromosome. This process is called "crossing over" or
"genetic recombination." Genetic recombination is the reason full siblings made from egg and sperm cells from
the same two parents can look very different from one another.

The meiosis cell cycle has two main stages of division -- Meiosis I and Meiosis II. The end result of meiosis is
four haploid daughter cells that each contain different genetic information from each other and the parent cell.
Click for more detail. (Image from Science Primer from the National Center for Biotechnology Information.)

The Meiosis Cell Cycle

Meiosis has two cycles of cell division, conveniently called Meiosis I and Meiosis II. Meiosis I halves the
number of chromosomes and is also when crossing over happens. Meiosis II halves the amount of genetic
information in each chromosome of each cell. The end result is four daughter cells called haploid cells. Haploid
cells only have one set of chromosomes - half the number of chromosomes as the parent cell.

Before meiosis I starts, the cell goes through interphase. Just like in mitosis, the parent cell uses this time to
prepare for cell division by gathering nutrients and energy and making a copy of its DNA. During the next
stages of meiosis, this DNA will be switched around during genetic recombination and then divided between
four haploid cells.

So remember, Mitosis is what helps us grow and Meiosis is why we are all unique!

The cell cycle, or cell-division cycle, is the series of events that take place in a cell leading to duplication of its
DNA (DNA replication) and division of cytoplasm and organelles to produce two daughter cells. In bacteria, which
lack a cell nucleus, the cell cycle is divided into the B, C, and D periods. The B period extends from the end of cell
division to the beginning of DNA replication. DNA replication occurs during the C period. The D period refers to the
stage between the end of DNA replication and the splitting of the bacterial cell into two daughter cells.[1] In cells with
a nucleus, as in eukaryotes, the cell cycle is also divided into two main stages: interphase and the mitotic (M) phase
(including mitosisand cytokinesis). During interphase, the cell grows, accumulating nutrients needed for mitosis, and
undergoes DNA replication preparing it for cell division. During the mitotic phase, the replicated chromosomes and
cytoplasm separate into two new daughter cells. To ensure the proper division of the cell, there are control
mechanisms known as cell cycle checkpoints.
The cell-division cycle is a vital process by which a single-celled fertilized egg develops into a mature organism, as
well as the process by which hair, skin, blood cells, and some internal organs are renewed. After cell division, each
of the daughter cells begin the interphase of a new cycle. Although the various stages of interphase are not usually
morphologically distinguishable, each phase of the cell cycle has a distinct set of specialized biochemical processes
that prepare the cell for initiation of cell division.

G0 phase (quiescence)
G0 is a resting phase where the cell has left the cycle and has stopped dividing. The cell cycle starts with this phase.
The word "post-mitotic" is sometimes used to refer to both quiescent and senescent cells. Non-proliferative (non-
dividing) cells in multicellular eukaryotes generally enter the quiescent G0 state from G1 and may remain quiescent
for long periods of time, possibly indefinitely (as is often the case for neurons). This is very common for cells that are
fully differentiated. Cellular senescence occurs in response to DNA damage and external stress and usually
constitutes an arrest in G1. Some cells enter the G0 phase semi-permanently and are considered post-mitotic, e.g.,
some liver, kidney, and stomach cells. Many cells do not enter G0 and continue to divide throughout an organism's
life, e.g., epithelial cells.
Cellular senescence is also a state that occurs in response to DNA damage or degradation that would make a cell's
progeny nonviable; it is often a biochemical alternative to the self-destruction of such a damaged cell by apoptosis.

Interphase
Interphase is a series of changes that takes place in a newly formed cell and its nucleus before it becomes capable
of division again. It is also called preparatory phase or intermitosis. Typically interphase lasts for at least 91% of the
total time required for the cell cycle.
Interphase proceeds in three stages, G1, S, and G2, followed by the cycle of mitosis and cytokinesis. The cell's
nuclear DNA contents are duplicated during S phase.
G1 phase (First growth phase or Post mitotic gap phase)
The first phase within interphase, from the end of the previous M phase until the beginning of DNA synthesis, is
called G1 (G indicating gap). It is also called the growth phase. During this phase, the biosynthetic activities of the
cell, which are considerably slowed down during M phase, resume at a high rate. The duration of G1 is highly
variable, even among different cells of the same species.[3] In this phase, the cell increases its supply of proteins,
increases the number of organelles (such as mitochondria, ribosomes), and grows in size. In G1 phase, a cell has
three options.

 To continue cell cycle and enter S phase

 Stop cell cycle and enter G0 phase for undergoing differentiation.
 Become arrested in G1 phase hence it may enter G0 phase or re-enter cell cycle.
The deciding point is called check point (Restriction point). This check point is called the restriction point or START
and is regulated by G1/S cyclins, which cause transition from G1 to S phase. Passage through the G1 check point
commits the cell to division.
S phase (DNA replication)
The ensuing S phase starts when DNA synthesis commences; when it is complete, all of the chromosomes have
been replicated, i.e., each chromosome consists of two sister chromatids. Thus, during this phase, the amount of
DNA in the cell has doubled, though the ploidy and number of chromosomes are unchanged. Rates of
RNA transcription and protein synthesis are very low during this phase. An exception to this is histone production,
most of which occurs during the S phase.
G2 phase (growth)
G2 phase occurs after DNA replication and is a period of protein synthesis and rapid cell growth to prepare the cell
for mitosis. During this phase microtubules begin to reorganize to form a spindle (preprophase). Before proceeding
to mitotic phase, cells must be checked at the G2 checkpoint for any DNA damage within the chromosomes. The G2
checkpoint is mainly regulated by the tumor protein p53. If the DNA is damaged, p53 will either repair the DNA or
trigger the apoptosis of the cell. If p53 is dysfunctional or mutated, cells with damaged DNA may continue through
the cell cycle, leading to the development of cancer.

Mitotic phase (chromosome separation)

Main article: Mitosis
The relatively brief M phase consists of nuclear division (karyokinesis). It is a relatively short period of the cell cycle.
M phase is complex and highly regulated