Meiosis is necessary to reduce the number of chromosomes to half: from 46 chromosomes in our regular cells to 23 chromosomes in the egg or sperm. The other half in the baby will come from the other partner to create genetic diversity. read more
Meiosis is important because during sexual reproduction, it ensures that all produced organisms have the correct number of chromosomes. It is also responsible for producing genetic variations during the process of recombination, and it repairs some genetic defects. read more
Meiosis also helps introduce genetic variations. This can occur in one of three ways: crossing over of homologous chromosome pairs during prophase 1, independent assortment of homologous pairs during metaphase 1 and random chance fertilization. read more