> is meiosis and mitosis the only two way to reproduce?
Well, from a high-level view the only way a cell can make more cells is to divide, and if it divides it either makes a copy of its genetic material first, or gives half of it to each daughter cell. So in that sense, they're the only two ways possible.
From a more detailed view, I wonder if the machinery of meiosis is evolutionarily the same in every sexually-reproducing species, or if it has evolved more than once. My guess is only once, because it has a specific sequence of events which is always the same.
Well, from a high-level view the only way a cell can make more cells is to divide, and if it divides it either makes a copy of its genetic material first, or gives half of it to each daughter cell. So in that sense, they're the only two ways possible.
From a more detailed view, I wonder if the machinery of meiosis is evolutionarily the same in every sexually-reproducing species, or if it has evolved more than once. My guess is only once, because it has a specific sequence of events which is always the same.