What is Mitosis?

Mitosis is a process that happens in our bodies when cells divide and make new cells. It’s like when you take a piece of paper and fold it in half to make two equal pieces. Mitosis helps our bodies grow, heal, and replace old cells. Let's look at the steps of mitosis!

The Steps of Mitosis

1. Prophase: The cell gets ready to divide. The material inside the cell, called DNA, becomes visible and looks like little X's. The part of the cell that helps separate the DNA starts to form.
2. Metaphase: The cell lines up all the X's in the middle, like lining up toys before playing a game.
3. Anaphase: The cell pulls apart the X's, separating them so that each new cell will get the same DNA.
4. Telophase: The cell starts to form two new cells. It creates new membranes around each set of DNA, kind of like putting each toy in its new box.

What is Interphase?

Interphase is the stage before the cell starts to divide. Think of it like getting ready for an exciting event. During interphase, the cell is busy growing and making sure it has everything it needs for mitosis. Interphase is divided into three parts:

1. G1 Phase: The cell grows bigger and does its daily jobs.
2. S Phase: The cell copies all of its DNA. It’s like making a backup of your favorite video game so you can keep playing!
3. G2 Phase: The cell gets ready for mitosis, checking to make sure everything is okay and that it can safely divide.

So, to sum it up, mitosis is how cells make new cells by dividing, and interphase is the important preparation phase that happens before mitosis. They both work together to help our bodies grow and stay healthy!