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The diagram shows how embryonic stem cells are produced - Edexcel - GCSE Biology - Question 4 - 2013 - Paper 1
Question 4
The diagram shows how embryonic stem cells are produced. meiosis sperm cell fertilisation egg cell zygotecell division embryonic stem cells (a) (i) Describe how... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:The diagram shows how embryonic stem cells are produced - Edexcel - GCSE Biology - Question 4 - 2013 - Paper 1
Step 1
(i) Describe how the cells produced by meiosis are different from body cells.
Answer
The cells produced by meiosis are known as gametes, which are sex cells. Unlike body cells, they have a haploid number of chromosomes, meaning they contain only half the number of chromosomes present in diploid body cells. Specifically, human gametes have 23 chromosomes, while body cells have 46. Additionally, gametes are genetically different due to the process of crossing over and independent assortment that occurs during meiosis.
Step 2
(ii) Describe what happens to the sex cells during fertilisation.
Answer
During fertilisation, the sperm cell and the egg cell combine their genetic material. This fusion creates a zygote, which is a diploid cell. The zygote then undergoes cell division to develop into an embryo. Essentially, the genetic information from both parents is merged, resulting in genetic variation in the offspring.