Final answer:
Cytokinesis is the process in which a cell divides into two halves, either by cleavage furrow in animal cells, formed by actin microfilaments contracting and pinching the cell into two, or by cell plate formation in plant cells, which develops into new cell walls.
Step-by-step explanation:
The cleavage of a cell into two halves is known as cytokinesis, which is the process following mitosis where the cell divides its cytoplasm and separates into two new daughter cells. In animal cells and some fungi, this separation occurs through the formation of a cleavage furrow, a contractile band consisting of microfilaments made of actin.
The cleavage furrow forms around the midline of the cell as the actin microfilaments contract. This action results in the pinching of the cell's membrane, which becomes increasingly narrow until the cell is eventually split in two, creating two genetically identical daughter cells.