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How many chromosomes are present in a typical human sperm cell?
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A typical human sperm cell contains 23 chromosomes.1
While human somatic cells are diploid and contain 46 chromosomes (23 pairs), sperm cells are haploid gametes produced through meiosis. This process reduces the chromosome number by half, ensuring that when a sperm cell fertilizes an ovumâwhich also contains 23 chromosomesâthe resulting zygote restores the typical diploid number of 46.231
Each sperm cell carries either an X or a Y chromosome, which is the determining factor for the sex of the offspring.41