Final answer:
DNA replication is the process of copying DNA. It occurs during the S phase of the cell cycle. DNA is unwound and the strands serve as templates for the creation of new strands. This process is semi-conservative, meaning that each daughter molecule contains one strand from the parent molecule.
Step-by-step explanation:
DNA replication is the process in which DNA is copied. It occurs during the synthesis (S) phase of the eukaryotic cell cycle. DNA replication begins when an enzyme, DNA helicase, breaks the bonds between complementary bases in DNA. This exposes the bases inside the molecule so they can be 'read' by another enzyme, DNA polymerase, and used to build two new DNA strands with complementary bases. The two daughter molecules that result each contain one strand from the parent molecule and one new strand that is complementary to it. DNA replication is a semi-conservative process because half of the parent DNA molecule is conserved in each of the two daughter DNA molecules.