Human somatic cells contain 46 chromosomes. If this is the case, how many chromosomes will gametes produced from these cells contain?

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Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Gametes produced from these cells will contain 23 chromosomes. Gametes are produced by meiosis, a process that results in the creation of haploid cells.
Key Takeaway: Meiosis is the cellular process that produces the sex or germ cells from diploid cells. In meiosis, one diploid cell will give rise to four haploid cells. It is made up of two stages, meiosis I and meiosis II. Meiosis I is largely similar to mitosis, but meiosis I does not produce two daughter cells with identical genetic information, but two daughter cells with one containing mostly maternal genetic information and the other containing mostly paternal genetic information. In meiosis II, the two diploid daughter cells are divided into four daughter cells which are the gametes, or the sperm or egg cells.

Human Somatic Cells Contain 46 Chromosomes