What type of reproduction produces genetically identical cells?

Mitosis is the process that results in the division of a single cell into two genetically identical daughter cells. This is a fundamental mechanism for growth, development, and tissue repair in multicellular organisms. During mitosis, the cell's DNA is replicated, and each daughter cell receives an exact copy of the genetic material. This ensures that the genetic information remains consistent across the cells, making them genetically identical.

While options like meiosis and binary fission also involve cell division, they do not produce genetically identical cells in the same way. Meiosis produces gametes with half the genetic material, leading to genetic diversity, while binary fission, common in prokaryotes, results in two cells that are genetically identical but is generally classified under a broader category of asexual reproduction. Asexual reproduction encompasses multiple processes, including mitosis and binary fission, but it itself is not a cell division mechanism, just rather a way of describing the reproduction method. Thus, mitosis specifically stands out as the process responsible for generating genetically identical cells.