How many chromosomes are there in a fertilized egg? - ProProfs Discuss
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How many chromosomes are there in a fertilized egg?

How many chromosomes are there in a fertilized egg?<br/>

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Asked by Lgfhpe, Last updated: Oct 12, 2024

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4 Answers

John Smith

John Smith

John Smith
John Smith

Answered Aug 09, 2017

There are 46 chromosomes in a fertilized egg.

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J. Pollock

J. Pollock

J. Pollock
J. Pollock, Science Professor, Los Angeles

Answered Sep 02, 2020

An egg contains 23 chromosomes. The zygote or the fertilized egg has 46 chromosomes.

• The egg completes meiosis before it meets up with the sperm, which also has 23 chromosomes.

• This count is why it ends up with half the number of chromosomes into a polar body that connects the zona pellucid lining.

• While there are 23 pairs, 22 of the pairs are identical. The 23rd pair determines whether it will be a boy or girl.

• If it has an x and a y, it indicates that it is a male, while if they are both x’s, then it’s a female.

• Each parent contributes the haploid number of the chromosome complement to the fertilized egg.

• No single parent contributes a pair of any chromosomes.

• 23 come from the sperm, while the other 23 come from the egg.

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Ali

Ali

Ali
Ali

Answered Jul 29, 2020

46: 23 from the sperm and 23 from the egg

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Sophia Lee Ryan

Sophia Lee Ryan

Sophia Lee Ryan
Sophia Lee Ryan

Answered Aug 18, 2017

A fertilized egg (also known as a zygote), contains 23 pairs of chromosomes for a total of 46 chromosomes in the zygote. These chromosomes come from the mother via the unfertilized egg, and from the father via the sperm cell. Each of these carries 23 individual chromosomes, which are matched and paired with the 23 chromosomes from the other partner.

These paired chromosomes determine what the child’s physical characteristics will be when they are born, including hair color, eye color, skin tone, facial structure, and gender. The 46 chromosomes contained in a fertilized egg form the basic genetic makeup for the growing fetus. If there are any mutations or abnormalities in any of these chromosomes, or if there are extra or missing chromosomes, this will usually result in a birth defect.

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