Cell division

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Cell division is the process by which a cell divides into two or more cells. Cell division is the means of reproduction in organisms that reproduce asexually, as by fission or spore formation. In organsims that reproduce sexually, cell division is the source of all tissue growth and repair. The two main types of cell division are mitosis and meiosis[1].


The German botanist Hugo von Mohl discovered[2] cell division in 1835 in the cells of green algae (Cladophora glomerata) while trying to understand how cells multiply. Here are  a few of his original drawings of what he observed under the microscope (a cell division taking place can be seen on “Figure 1, c” and “Figure 2, a and b”; he notes that the dividing and divided cells contain chlorophyll):

Here is a photomicrograph[3] of Cladophora glomerata:


Here is a lithograph[4] of Hugo von Mohl: