== Mitosis ==

Mitosis can be viewed as the means whereby identical genetic material, contained in the chromosomes, is distributed to two daughter nuclei. It can be divided into four stages, each characterized by certain features of nuclear or chromosome morphology and chromosome movement. The stages are arbitrary in that mitosis is a continuous process from its inception at prophase through the stages of metaphase and anaphase to the final stage of telophase. The nucleus of a cell that is not dividing is in the interphase stage.