Here are the 8 steps of meiosis:
1. Each chromosome makes an identical copy of itself, forming two exact halves called chromatids. The chromosomes then thicken and shorten into a form that is visible under a microscope. The nuclear membrane disappears.
2. Each chromosome is now made up of two chromatids, the original and an exact copy. Similar chromosomes pair with one another, forming homologous chromosome pairs. The paired homologous chromosomes line up at the equator of the cell.
3. The chromosomes separate from their homologous partners and move to opposite ends of the cell.
4. The nuclear membrane reforms and the cell divides. The paired chromatids are still joined.
5. Each cell contains one member of each homologous chromosome pair. The chromosomes are not copied again between the two cell divisions.
6. The chromosomes line up at the equator of the cell.
7. The chromatids pull apart and move to opposite ends of the cell. The nuclear membrane forms around the separated chromosomes, and the cell divide.
8. THE RESULT: Four new cells have formed from the original single cell. Each new cell has half the number of chromosomes present in the original cell.
