Chromosome
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Chromosomes are parts of a cell that have genetic information. Each chromosome contains many genes. Chromosomes come in pairs: one from the mother; the other from the father. Scientists have labelled chromosomes with numbers.
Chromosomes are in all cells. These cells go through different phases, and when they get too big, they divide. When a stomatic cell (eg muscle cells) divides it is called mitosis. The sex cells or gametes go through a different reproductive process called meiosis. Before mitosis, the cell copies all the chromosomes and then it can divide. When they duplicate, chromosomes look like the letter "X". When they are separated they look like a big stringy mess. They are called chromatin when they are separated. This X is called a double helix.
There are 46 chromosomes in a human, plus one pair of sex chromosomes. Different animals have different amount of chromosomes. Everyone has a chromosome from their father, and a matching chromosome from their mother. If a person does not have the exact number of chromosomes, they could die or have one or more peculiarities. For example, they could get a genetic disorder like Down syndrome (which is when there is an extra chromosome 21) and Klinefelter's syndrome (a male with two X chromosomes). Some genetic disorders are more common than others.
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