Final answer:
Mitosis results in two genetically identical daughter cells, each containing a replicate of the parent cell's DNA. This process is central to both cell growth and repair in eukaryotic organisms.
Step-by-step explanation:
The process that results in two identical daughter cells is known as mitosis. In mitosis, the parent cell's genomic DNA is replicated and then equally divided between the two resulting daughter cells. These daughter cells are genetically identical to each other and to the parent cell. This ensures the preservation of the cell’s genetic information. Mitosis involves several key steps: the DNA replicates during the S-phase of interphase, then mitosis proceeds through prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase, followed by cytokinesis which splits the cytoplasm.
Binary fission is a simpler form of cell division that occurs in prokaryotic organisms, like bacteria, where the single, circular DNA chromosome is replicated and the cell divides into two identical cells. This process does not involve mitosis because prokaryotic cells do not have a nucleus or multiple chromosomes. Unlike mitosis, the process of meiosis results in four genetically distinct haploid cells and is used for sexual reproduction in eukaryotes.