What do you picture when you hear, “chromosome?” Most people picture sausage-shaped blobs pinched together:
Each sausage in the picture is a complete chromosome coiled up very tightly. These are “sisters” and they are identical copies of a single chromosome. (Am I the only one craving sausages right now? 🌭)
In anaphase, the sisters get pulled apart and each takes up residence in a new cell. Open your sock drawer and pull out a pair of socks. Yank the pair apart and put each sock in a separate drawer. Now repeat that with every pair. Not only have you created a wardrobe headache for yourself, you’ve also demonstrated the main event of anaphase. (113 words)
This cartoon ran in the March 4th, 2024 issue of The New Yorker magazine. Here are my alternative captions:
“Their’s is a storybook romance.”
“Those two are always name-dropping Beatrix Potter.”
“I thought I heard someone binging Bridgerton in the coop last night.”
In the end, I went with the caption with the curse word. I was surprised when they bought it–in 2022–and even more surprised when it was actually printed. Thanks for reading!