Meiosis and Sex Cells

Lab Brief #2

🎯 Your mission

Run the experiment. Find out what really happens.

⚡ The twist

Nature loves to surprise the careful watcher.

What you'll learn

Meiosis is a special type of cell division that produces sex cells (gametes) with half the normal number of chromosomes. When egg and sperm unite, the full number is restored.

Key words

cell
The tiny building block that makes up all living things.
meiosis
Cell division that makes sex cells with half the chromosomes.

Make a hypothesis first

Before you start: write down what you think will happen, and why.

Say your guess out loud — then find out if you were right.

Get ready

🧰 What you need

microscope (or magnifying glass)
onion skin

⚠️ Safety first

Check glassware for chips before use and carry it with both hands.

Step 1 of 4 · Read

Look at the vocabulary words and write a definition for each in your own words.

Step 2 of 4 · Do

Prepare a wet-mount slide of an onion skin and observe it under a microscope (or magnifying glass). Draw and label the cell wall, cell membrane, and nucleus.

Step 3 of 4 · Observe

Note any unexpected results and think about why they happened.

Step 4 of 4 · Record

Share your findings with the class or a partner and discuss what you learned.

Question 1 of 3

What is meiosis?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 2 of 3

How many chromosomes do human body cells have?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 3 of 3

What organelle produces energy for the cell?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Mind = blown

🔬 The more you look, the more nature shows you.

Nice work!

You got 0 of 3 right.

Next: Dominant and Recessive Alleles All lessons

🎯

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✨ More to explore

🌍 Where you see this in real life: This shows up in your everyday life more than you'd think.

🏆 Stretch challenge (try it this week): Try one experiment in real life this week — even a tiny one.

👨‍👩‍👧 For the dinner table: “What's the most surprising thing you learned today?”

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