canberrabirds

Woodswallow DNA similarity

To: "Geoffrey Dabb" <>, <>
Subject: Woodswallow DNA similarity
From: "Philip Veerman" <>
Date: Mon, 8 Oct 2007 17:49:13 +1000
Wow I wonder if I should respond to that. Quick lesson in high school biology. The word meiosis relates to the process of cell division that occurs in the production of sperm & eggs (in animals) and pollen & seed (in plants). That is the only context in which I have encountered the word. The point that I was making is that the process is common to most multicelled organisms. The aspect of ?lessening? or ?diminution? relates to that the diploid (double or matched pairs of) chromosomes are reduced to the haploid (single) set of chromosomes, so that when fertilisation occurs, we return to the diploid state. Which is how, in most organisms, each has an equal set of genes from two parents. There are exceptions to this, such as the order of hymenoptera (bees, wasps & ants) in which the males only have a single set of chromosomes inherited from their mother, they do not have any genes from a father.
 
But then you all knew that and I have never (that I remember) contemplated the etymology of the word.
 
Philip
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