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Prenatal Development
•Nature and nurture combine forces in
prenatal development.
•Much of development is generated by the
fetus itself.
Conception
•Conception is the union of the mother ’s and
father’s sex cells, also known as gametes or
germ cells.
–Mother’s sex cells are eggs.
–Father’s sex cells are sperm.
•The union of sperm and egg forms a zygote.
Developmental Processes
•The zygote is transformed into an embryo and
then a fetus through the processes of
–Cell division - Begins 12 hours after
fertilization and continues throughout fetal
development.
Developmental Processes
•The zygote is transformed into an embryo and
then a fetus through the processes of
–Cell division
–Cell migration - Cells move from point of
origin to elsewhere in the embryo
