What Is The Difference Between Replication and Reproduction

Replication and reproduction are two very different processes. However, they are often confused and used synonymously. To properly understand these processes, it is important to understand the differences between them. Replication refers to the process of copying DNA.

Difference between replication and reproduction

Replication happens when DNA is copied in preparation for cell division. Replication creates a new DNA molecule with the same DNA sequence as the original DNA molecule. Replication is essential to ensuring genetic diversity and is the process that makes it possible for humans to survive.

All replication processes must accurately and without error replicate the input, while small variations are permitted in the definition of reproduction. For this purpose, we refer to living things as being able to reproduce themselves rather than using the word replicate to describe them.

We can be tempted to swap the words reproduce and replicate in everyday speech. Anybody who is interested in the development of emergence, however, is aware that there is a subtle distinction between both upon which entire universe is predicated.

What is replication?

The dictionary definition of the word replication is the action of copying. But it has a different connotation in biology. A double-stranded DNA molecule is replicated to create two identical DNA molecules through the process of DNA replication. Since every time a cell splits, the two additional daughter cells must have the exact genetic material or DNA. Replication is a crucial process owing to these factors. 

What is reproduction?

Reproduction is the production of offspring, or in other words, the process by which new individuals are produced from their parents. Outside biology, the word reproduction refers to something that you don’t merely copy. Reproduction also refers to a copy of a work of art, especially a print or photograph of a painting. The word reproduction is also sometimes used to refer to the process of making a copy, such as a photocopy.

While the difference between replication and reproduction is subtle in general usage of the two words, it’s very different in a biological framework. That makes it important to know and understand the difference between these two processes.

While both replication and reproduction processes may seem similar, they are different in many ways. In order to fully understand the difference between the two processes, you will have to refer to specialized biology resources that elucidate the not-so-subtle differences between the two.