Fertilisation

How New Life Begins

New life begins in a special way called fertilisation. This is when tiny cells from a mother and a father join together to make one cell. This new cell is called a zygote. It then grows and becomes a baby animal or plant.

Plants and Animals

In plants, this joining can happen in different ways. For example, pollination helps carry the tiny parts together. In some plants, called angiosperms, two tiny parts join to help make food for the new plant.

Animals also use fertilisation to make new babies. For humans, this joining happens inside the body. You can read more at Human fertilization.

Discoverers of Fertilisation

A long time ago, a thinker named Aristotle had ideas about how new life starts. Later, a scientist named Spallanzani showed that tiny parts from both parents need to join. Karl Ernst von Baer was the first to see an egg from a mammal. And Oscar Hertwig watched how these tiny parts join in sea urchins.

Fertilisation is an important part of sexual reproduction. It helps create new life and keeps species going. This special joining makes sure that each new baby is unique and strong.