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How many chromosomes are present in the human secondary spermatocyte?

A. 10
B. 20
C. 23
D. 24
E. 45
F. 46

Answer :

In humans, the development of sperm cells occurs through a process called meiosis. Meiosis is a type of cell division that reduces the chromosome number by half, which is crucial for sexual reproduction.

Here's how it works:

1. Somatic Cells: These are all body cells except for the gametes (sperm and eggs). Human somatic cells have 46 chromosomes.

2. Primary Spermatocyte: During the process of sperm formation, a diploid cell (which has 46 chromosomes) undergoes the first meiotic division to form two haploid cells called secondary spermatocytes. Each haploid cell has half the number of chromosomes compared to the original cell.

3. Secondary Spermatocyte: After the first division of meiosis, the chromosome number is reduced by half. Therefore, a secondary spermatocyte contains 23 chromosomes. This is because the total number of chromosomes in somatic cells is divided equally between two cells.

4. Further Development: Each secondary spermatocyte will then undergo a second meiotic division, leading to the formation of spermatids, which will eventually mature into sperm cells.

Therefore, the number of chromosomes present in a human secondary spermatocyte is 23.

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