Tags: cell division, chromosomes
Categories: Pseudo-explanations
An example of anthropomorphic phrasing in popular science writing:
"The initiative in cell division is taken by the chromosomes, each of which splits neatly along its entire length into two identical, but somewhat thinner fibres while the cell as a whole remains intact as a single unit."
George Gamow (1961) One, Two, Three…Infinity. Facts and speculations of science, Revised Edition, Dover Publications, Inc., New York.
'Taking the initiative' refers to deliberate behaviour, and so applies to humans – but not chromosomes – so this is figurative phrasing.
Read examples of anthropomorphism in science
