What type of cell division results in two identical daughter cells?

The process that results in the formation of two identical daughter cells is mitosis. In mitosis, a single cell undergoes a series of orderly steps leading to its division into two genetically identical cells. This is essential for growth, tissue repair, and asexual reproduction in organisms.

During mitosis, the DNA of the parent cell is replicated so that each daughter cell receives an exact copy of the genetic material. The stages of mitosis include prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase, followed by cytokinesis, which physically separates the cells.

In contrast, meiosis is a different type of cell division aimed at producing gametes (sperm and eggs) and results in four genetically diverse daughter cells, each with half the chromosome number of the original cell. Binary fission, while it is a method of cell division used by prokaryotes like bacteria, also results in two identical cells, but it is not the same process as mitosis. Fertilization is the fusion of male and female gametes, leading to the formation of a zygote, and does not involve cell division at all.

Thus, the correct answer is mitosis, as it is the specific process that produces two identical daughter cells.