How eggs protect chromosome connections during prolonged dormancy
Phys.org ·
Eggs follow a very different developmental path from sperm. Once a male hits puberty, sperm cells are produced continuously throughout his life. Eggs, however, are all produced during the fetal stage. Once formed, eggs enter a long dormant state called the dictyate stage, in which the process of cell division (meiosis) is paused partway through. This dormant period ends only when the egg is ovulated.