How sex cells are made

If you just copied yourself exactly, you'd basically be a walking clone machine , but your DNA would never mix or change. That's what happens in asexual reproduction: one parent, identical offspring, zero variety. But when you want to pass on your DNA and mix it up with someone else's, you need a different strategy. That's where sex cells (also called gametes) come in. They carry only half your usual DNA, so when they join with another gamete, the full set is restored , and the new individual is genetically unique.

You might think, "Why not just use normal cells?" If you did, the baby would end up with double the DNA every generation. So, your body has a system to halve the DNA in gametes, keeping things balanced.