13. Dividing DNA Between Dividing Cells

In this lecture, our discussion of biological information transitions from the molecular level to the level of cells and organisms. The lecture begins by focusing on the question of how DNA, packaged as chromosomes, is distributed in dividing cells through the process of mitosis, a process that maintains the continuity of information among daughter cells. Many organisms also exhibit a kind of cell division called meiosis, a process that creates specialized daughter cells that combine with each other during sexual reproduction. The lecture concludes by discussing how meiosis and sex create genetic variation, providing the essential substrate for evolution by natural selection.