The end result of meiosis is the production of four genetically diverse haploid cells from a single diploid parent cell. These haploid cells are gametes, which are crucial for sexual reproduction. In humans and many other organisms, these gametes are sperm and egg cells.
Meiosis consists of two main divisions: meiosis I and meiosis II. During meiosis I, homologous chromosomes are separated into two new cells, each containing half the original chromosome number. This phase also includes crossing over, where segments of DNA are exchanged between homologous chromosomes, increasing genetic diversity.
In meiosis II, the sister chromatids of each chromosome are separated into four new cells. As a result, the final outcome is that each of the four gametes has a unique set of chromosomes, resulting in genetic variation among offspring.