How many chromosomes does a human have?

Every normal human being has 46 chromosomes in every cell. All of them hold from 20 000 to 25 000 genes. A human gets a set of 23 chromosomes from each biological parent - one set from the egg of the mother and one set from the sperm of the father.

There are two types of chromosomes - the autosomes and the sex chromosomes. The sex chromosomes determine the gender of a baby. If a human is a female, she has two XX chromosomes (XX), and if the human is a male, he has an X and a Y chromosome (XY). All the rest are autosomes. Each parent provides his or her child with the 22 autosomes and one 1 sex chromosome.

The word chromosome comes from the Greek: chroma meaning "color" and soma meaning "body".

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14 Comments

Julie Allen

english ann, A genetic condition where someone has either too many or two few chromosomes is called aneuploidy (AN-yoo-ploy-dee). ... People with trisomy have an extra copy of one of their chromosomes. So, for example, trisomy 18 means that there are 3 copies of chromosome 18. Each chromosome has many genes.

english ann

Ever read of Turner Syndrome? Those who have it possess just one X chromosome and no Y chromosome, so they're girls without all the female hormones and functions of normal girls. Shorter stature, too.

Linda Johnson

I would like to add the estrogen like chemicals that come from certain plastics like PBA.

Bill Coe

Albeck Wilson-Smith I think any question like this assumes "the normal". And, if you were SO smart, you'd know it was Down Syndrome, NOT down's syndrome.

Anna Dorn

Daniel Halley Wow. Like this is trivia. Not politics, socioeconomic disaster, gender equality, etc. Just trivia

Nancy Morgan

Thanks. I like brief, easy to read non loquacious intelligent information. ☺

mkrash

Alright I needed to look that one up

DannyBoy

Oh I forgot, Vaccines! Zilka isn't from mosquitoes, it's from the chemicals that are supposed to protect us? Google it, seriously! It's an Eye Opener!

DannyBoy

If you want more of that toxic exposure, vote for SHillery!

DannyBoy

Michelle, You are Correct but Just the tip of the iceberg with what's going into our; water, air, soil, food, plastics, flame retardants, artificial everything, medication, etc...

DannyBoy

Vasily Tchaikovsky That depends on your definition of 'normal'!

Albeck1994

Vasily Tchaikovsky no you weren't. You asked how many a human has. Well downs syndrome have 47 so perhaps it should have been how many chromosomes does the average human have. Which I think is what was pointed out at review