Table of Contents
Fast Facts
Quizzes
Science & Tech
chromosome
biology
Feedback
Thank you for your feedback
Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
External Websites
- LiveScience - Chromosomes: Definition & Structure
- Khan Academy - Chromosomes
- Merck Manuals - Consumer Version - Genes and Chromosomes
- Learn.Genetics - Genetic Science Learning Center - How do Scientists Read Chromosomes?
- Biology LibreTexts - Chromosomes
- National Center for Biotechnology Information - Chromosomes
- National Human Genome Research Institute - Chromosome
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
Category:
Science & Tech
- Key People:
- Thomas Hunt Morgan Dorothy Maud Wrinch Walter Sutton Theodor Heinrich Boveri Cyril Dean Darlington
- Related Topics:
- gene sex chromosome major histocompatibility complex telomere chromosome number
chromosome, the microscopic threadlike part of the cell that carries hereditary information in the form of genes. A defining feature of any chromosome is its compactness. For instance, the 46 chromosomes found in human cells have a combined length of 200 nm (1 nm = 10− 9 metre); if the chromosomes were to be unraveled, the genetic material they contain would measure roughly 2 metres (about 6.5 feet) in length. The compactness of chromosomes plays an important role in helping to organize genetic material during cell division and enabling it to fit inside structures such as the nucleus of a ...(100 of 628 words)