Day 30 -- My-"osis" and My-"toe"-sis

Cells have this weird method of reproduction called Mitosis (which is spelled incorrectly in the title for comedic effect). And just to be fair to those who thought it wasn't complicated enough, the cell has a cycle of life (During which it is active only a small portion of the time, and the rest replicating. See below.) and cool stages for reproduction.

• Interphase -- Not much cool stuff happens during this stage. Mostly the cell is preparing for its great process of reproduction.
• Prophase -- The number of chromosomes in the cell double, and the center of the cell becomes darker and more expressed. 
• Prometaphase -- The nucleus dissolves, and the microtubes attach to the centromeres. (See picture)
• Metaphase -- At this point, the cell is much larger and the nucleus has dissolved. The chromosomes align at the middle of the cell, ready to be split out to each side.
• Anaphase -- The chromosomes are split apart , and start being pulled to each end of the cell. At times the outward movement of the chromosomes is visible to microscopes. 
• Telophase -- The microtubles disappear at this stage, and the cell begins to form a gap inwards at the top and bottom, showing that the outside is starting to divide as well.
• Cytokinesis -- This is where the cells visibly divide. The new "daughter" cells each have the original amount of chromosomes as the starting cell.

The cell cycle involves the G1 stage, during which everything happens (normal function), the S phase, the G2 phase, and then the phases listed above during actual division. 

Meiosis is a much different process. The final cells that result from this process do not have the original amount of chromosomes, but half. The resulting cells must meet with another cell similar to its own (sperm to egg) to create a full functioning cell. This is often seen in conception of humans.