Question

How is mitosis different from meiosis? A)Unlike meiosis, mitosis results in four haploid cells. B)Unlike meiosis, mitosis produces eggs and sperm. C)Unlike meiosis, mitosis occurs only in somatic cells. D)Unlike meiosis, mitosis involves two cell divisions.

Answer 1

The answer should be C, unlike meiosis, mitosis occurs only in somatic cells (body cells such as skin cells, muscles cells etc)

Mitosis is a process of cell division that produces 2 daughter cells that are genetically identical to both the other daughter cell and the parent cell. This process includes am exact duplication of genetic information, which means, the daughter cells have the exact number of chromosomes to the parent cell. We call these daughter cells as diploid. On the other hand, meiosis is the process of cell division that produces 4 daughter cells that are genetically different from the parent cells. They only have half of the original number of chromosome. Meiosis includes 2 cell divisions, and the daughter cells are called haploid.

Therefore, since mitosis produces 2 identical daughter cells, they're found in somatic cells, as they're used for growth or development. You wouldn't suddenly grow some muscles cells in your skin cells, therefore mitosis cells must be identical. However, meiosis cells since they only have half of the original chromosome number, they're used in producing gametes, sperm and eggs for human. So that, when 2 of these gamete cells fertilizes, the zygote can restore the actual number of chromosome, which is 46 for human, each egg and sperm carry 23.

So, your answer is C.