Suppose that a human female is accidentally exposed to a poison at one of four different points in development. If the effect of the poison is that it interferes with meisosis, at which point in the lifespan would we expect it to have the most disruptive effect?
A) in the prenatal period, since this is when ova are forming
B) in the first year after birth, since this is when brain growth is most rapid
C) during early adulthood, since this is when conception of a child is most likely to happen
D) in older adulthood, since body cells are most vulnerable at the end of the lifespan

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Meiosis in females begins in the ovaries well before birth, where all of the roughly 400,000 ova a woman will ever have begin their development. The final cell division that produces the ovum does not occur until the female enters puberty. The most disruptive effect would be in the prenatal period, since interference at this stage would inhibit ova from even beginning to form.

Suppose That a Human Female Is Accidentally Exposed to a Poison