What is Mitosis?

Mitosis produces identical copies of cells, and is involved in growth, cell repair and asexual reproduction - which is how simple organisms reproduce. When cells divide by mitosis, two new cells form and each cell is identical to one another and also the parent cell. This means that the number of cells increases, and hence the organism grows. In this video we will look at the general process involved: 1) The DNA is replicated to give two identical chromatids joined at the centromere 2) The chromosomes attach to spindle fibres and line up at the equator 3) The fibres shorten and pull the chromosomes apart, separating at the centromere 4) The cell membrane pinches in, dividing the cell into two to produce two identical daughter cells.