How many homologous pairs of chromosomes do humans have in their somatic cells?

• A. 24 pairs
• B. 46 pairs
• C. 22 pairs
• D. 23 pairs

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that somatic cells are any cells forming the body of an organism, excluding germ cells (sperm and egg).
2. Recognize that in humans, somatic cells are diploid, meaning they contain two sets of chromosomes, one from each parent.
3. Recall that humans have a total of 46 chromosomes in their somatic cells, which are organized into 23 pairs.
4. Each pair of chromosomes is homologous, meaning they have the same genes at the same loci, but possibly different alleles.
5. Therefore, humans have 23 homologous pairs of chromosomes in their somatic cells.