Why does meiosis produce cells with only half the amount of dna? how does this aid in the formation of a healthy zygote?

Question: michelangelo made several creative decisions in the process of making the pieta. one of these was to portray mary as a young woman. how would the sculpture be different if mary had appeared to be in her early 50's, as she probably was when christ was crucified? would this improve or detract from the work? why? use additional internet resources in support of