Alberta Biology 30 Cell Division Practice Test 2026 - Free Biology Practice Questions and Study Guide

Recombination is the rearrangement of genetic material, most commonly seen when homologous chromosomes exchange segments during meiosis. This crossing-over event shuffles alleles and creates new combinations of genes in the gametes, which helps explain why offspring can have traits not seen in either parent alone. It’s different from duplication, which adds an extra copy of a DNA region; from cytokinesis, which is the division of the cytoplasm after cell division; and from transcription, which is the process of making RNA from DNA. So recombination is all about exchanging DNA pieces to mix up genetic information.