PSYC 2450 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Cell Nucleus, Zygote, Meiosis

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 2450
• Professor: Carol Anne Hendry

Document Summary

Once established what is inherited at conception, we can examine the mechanisms by which genes influences the characteristics we display. Conception: the moment of fertilization, when a sperm penetrates an ovum, forming a zygote. Zygote: a single cell formed at conception from the union of a sperm and an ovum. Chromosome: a threadlike structure made up of genes; in human there are 46 chromosomes in the nucleus of each body cell. Genes: hereditary blueprints for development that are transmitted unchanged from generation to generation. Deoxyribonucleic acid (dna): long, double-stranded molecules that make up chromosomes. Mitosis: the process in which a cell duplicates its chromosomes and then divides the two genetically identical daughter cells. Meiosis: the process in which a germ cell divides, producing gametes(sperm or oval) that each contain half of the parent cell"s original complement of chromosomes; in humans, the products of meiosis contain 23 chromosomes.