Structure of Chromosomes, Cell Cycle and Cell Division

Vocabulary-based flashcards covering the discovery and structure of chromosomes and DNA, along with basic cell cycle terminology.

Chromosomes

Highly coiled, ribbon-like structures formed by the condensation of chromatin fibres during cell division.

Chromatin

A complex of DNA and many proteins that appears as very long and extremely thin darkly stained fibres when a cell is not dividing.

Walther Flemming

A German Scientist who in 1882 studied chromosomes in the rapidly dividing cells of the larvae of salamander and coined the term mitosis.

Rosalind Franklin

A scientist who studied the structure and shape of DNA.

Watson and Cruick

The scientists who worked out the double helical structure of DNA.

Mitosis

A term literally meaning "thread," named based on the appearance of chromatin threads dividing lengthwise during cell division.

Etymology of "Chromosome"

Derived from the Greek words "chroma" (meaning coloured) and "soma" (meaning body).

Interphase

A phase of the cell cycle consisting of $G_1$, $S$, and $G_2$ phases.

Meiosis

A type of cell division characterized as a reduction division involving homologous chromosomes and crossing over.

Homologous Chromosomes

Chromosomes that pair up during meiosis, where crossing over leads to variations.