Question

I have this question that has literally been confusing me for a long time...!
Okay so for mitosis, during the interphase DNA molecules are replicated so that there is double the number, and eventually a pair of duplicates each enter a daughter cell.
So in the original mother cell, there are still 46 chromosomes, one in each pair inherited from the mother and father, but then how are these distributed in the parent cell?
PLEASE HELP I HAVE AN EXAM IN A FEW DAYS
I WILL GIVE A MEDAL + FAN + TESTIMONIAL for the best answer.
Thanks,
Shizuka

Answer 1

Take a look at the image attached ...

You are right - there are 23 pairs of chromosomes (46 in total) in a parent cell
In this example, there are two pairs, not 23.. but the mechanism is the same
We have a "big" pair and a "little" pair. The different colors represent the origin of the chromosome - lets imagine that the red ones came from the egg/mother that made this individual and the blue ones came from the sperm/father that made this individual

Answer 2

I wanted you to understand why they were different colors. Why there was a red and blue for each pair, and not that the big pair was both red and the little pair both blue.
All of these chromosomes now replicate during Interphase... as shown in the second cell/circle...These pairs are now called sister chromatids. The two identical big blues are sister chromatids to each other, but are NOT sister chromatids to the two big reds because they are not identical. Instead, they are called homologous chromosomes (because they are both "big", but are not identical)

Answer 3

So when replication occurs, how many chromosomes are there? Still 46?

Answer 4

@Miracrown