Showing results for "chromosomes"

• plural of chromosome.

chromosomes

Cultural  

1. The small bodies in the nucleus of a cell that carry the chemical “instructions” for reproduction of the cell. They consist of strands of DNA wrapped in a double helix around a core of proteins. Each species of plant or animal has a characteristic number of chromosomes. For human beings, for example, it is forty-six.

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In humans, sex is determined by two chromosomes: an X-chromosome, which is female, and a Y-chromosome, which is male. (See sex chromosomes.)

Example Sentences

This is why the sex chromosomes, and the X chromosome in particular, can eliminate DNA from the other group more quickly.

From Science Daily • Jul. 7, 2026

Many characteristics go into determining someone’s sex: chromosomes, reproductive organs, hormonal balances, secondary sex characteristics like breast tissue and body-hair distribution.

From Slate • Jul. 7, 2026

The condition “may involve chromosomes, hormones, reproductive organs or genitals.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 7, 2026

These so-called polyploid genomes contain multiple sets of chromosomes inherited from different ancestral species.

From Science Daily • Jun. 19, 2026

But chromosomes clumped together, making it impossible to get an accurate count.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot