Final answer:
In human somatic cells, cell division occurs through the process of mitosis, which results in two genetically identical daughter cells. Meiosis is the cell division process for sex cells, producing four genetically distinct cells, and binary fission happens in bacterial cell division.
Step-by-step explanation:
The form of cell division that takes place in human somatic cells is mitosis. This type of cell division is sometimes referred to as simple cell division, whereby a parent cell divides once to produce two daughter cells. These daughter cells are genetically identical to each other as well as to the original parent cell. In mitosis, the DNA material, in the form of chromosomes, is duplicated, and each daughter cell inherits an exact copy of all 46 chromosomes found in the parent cell.
On the other hand, meiosis is the cell division process for sex cells, resulting in cells that have half the number of chromosomes. Unlike mitosis, meiosis involves two nuclear divisions resulting in four genetically distinct daughter cells. Conversely, binary fission is a form of reproduction in bacteria, where the bacterial cell divides into two after the DNA is replicated and segregated into each side of the cell.
In humans, somatic cells, which exclude germ cells (sperm and egg cells), regularly undergo mitosis as they contain two copies of each chromosome (diploid). Meiosis and fertilization alternate in sexual life cycles, where meiosis produces genetically unique gametes, and fertilization restores the diploid condition by combining the haploid gametes from two individuals.