sex chromosomes
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As with other pairs of chromosomes, one of the sex chromosomes is contributed by each parent; they are of two types, X and Y. The mother supplies only an X-chromosome, but the father can transmit both the X- and the Y-chromosome. At fertilization, if the father's sperm is also carrying an X-chromosome, the child will be female. If the father's sperm is carrying a Y-chromosome, the child will be male.
Example Sentences
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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
There are believed to be two ways in which sex chromosomes can cause sex-specific differences, also called sexual dimorphism, in cells.
From Salon ● Apr. 22, 2025
These findings shed light on the evolution of sex chromosomes and inform understanding of diseases related to genes on these chromosomes in both apes and humans.
From Science Daily ● May 29, 2024
The genome consists of 2.9 billion base pairs, which form 23 autosomal chromosomes, and X and Y sex chromosomes.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 20, 2024
One, known only as Klinefelter’s syndrome, involves a duplication of one of the sex chromosomes.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
