The number of possible chromosome combinations in a human gamete,considering independent assortment but not crossing over,is about
A) 8.
B) 800.
C) 80,000.
D) 8 million.
E) 800 million.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In humans, there are 23 pairs of chromosomes. During meiosis, these pairs can assort independently, meaning that the combination of chromosomes in each gamete is a random mix of the maternal and paternal versions of each chromosome. Therefore, the number of possible chromosome combinations in a human gamete is 2^23, or approximately 8 million. This does not take into account crossing over, which can increase the number of possible combinations even further.

The Number of Possible Chromosome Combinations in a Human Gamete,considering