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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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