Human biological sex is determined by the sex chromosomes X and Y. In most cases, females possess two X chromosomes, while males have one X and one Y. However, there is some evidence that the Y ...

In particular, it explains that humans have one fewer chromosome pair in their cells than apes, due to a mutation found in chromosome number 2 that caused two chromosomes to fuse into one.

Humans inherit one set of chromosomes from their mother and a second set from their father. In total, most human cells contain 46 chromosomes with 22 pairs of autosomes, or non-sex chromosomes ...

According to international conventions, human autosomes ... Submetacentric chromosomes, such as chromosomes 2, 6, and 10, have centromeres slightly displaced from the center.

It’s not clear why these backups have evolved. The new Y chromosome sequences could spell change for metagenomics research, which involves sequencing microbial genomes. Human DNA contaminants often ...