You are observing a single cell under a microscope. You go home for the night, and the next day you see four cells. The four cells look similar, and when you stain them with a dye that binds to DNA they all appear to contain the same amount of DNA as the original cell. What likely happened overnight?
A) The single cell divided once to form four new cells via asexual reproduction.
B) The single cell divided once to form four new cells via sexual reproduction.
C) The single cell divided to form two new cells, and the two new cells each divided to form four total cells, all by asexual reproduction.
D) The single cell divided to form two new cells, and the two new cells each divided to form four total cells, all by sexual reproduction.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The most likely scenario is that the single cell divided to form two new cells, and then those two cells each divided again, resulting in a total of four cells, all through a process of asexual reproduction. This is consistent with the observation that all four cells look similar and contain the same amount of DNA as the original cell, which is characteristic of asexual reproduction where offspring are genetically identical to the parent.

You Are Observing a Single Cell Under a Microscope