Question

Suppose there was NO meiotic recombination but maternal and paternal chromsomes still assorted randomly during meiosis. How many different kids would be possible from two parents?

Answer 1

8,324,608 chromosome combinations

Explanation:

During meiosis, chromosomes separate independently so that only one chromosome came from the father and the other homologous chromosome came from the mother. This process of independent assortment produces a huge amount of possible combinations in the diploid zygote cell. In humans, the haploid number of chromosomes is n = 23, thereby there are 2²³ = 8,324,608 chromosome combinations. Thus, the independent assortment of chromosomes during meiosis is a key factor that contributes to genetic variation in the offspring.