Question

How do cells produce new cells?

Answer 1

Hint: The cells are the fundamental unit of life. They control the metabolic functions of the organism. The cells are in a continuous process of division. When the cell becomes damaged and dies, they are replaced by new cells.

Complete answer:
The cells in our body produce new cells by the process of cell division. The cell division is of two types depending on the cause of division.

1)Mitosis: The division required for growth and repair of the body is known as mitosis. It is the process of cell division in which the cell divides into two daughter cells. The daughter cells produced are exact copies of the parent cell. They are genetically similar to their parents. The mitosis takes place in two steps karyokinesis which is division of nucleus and cytokinesis which is division of cytoplasm and the cell membrane. The mitosis takes place in the eukaryotic cells. It also serves as mode of asexual reproduction in some organisms.

2)Meiosis- This type of reproduction takes place in gametes. It is a special type of cell division which takes place in sexually reproducing organisms. It results in four cells having chromosomes of both mother and father. It is necessary for sexual reproduction and results in the formation of gametes.

Note: The skin cells divide continuously. The stem cells divide through mitosis. The neurons divide for a very short span after birth and stop dividing. The cells lose the ability of division after they get differentiated. The process of controlled cell death is known as apoptosis.