A human sperm or egg cell, also called a gamete, contains half the number of chromosomes found in other cells of the body. Humans have 46 chromosomes in each cell, but a sperm or egg cell contains only 23 chromosomes. When the sperm and egg combine during fertilization, the resulting zygote will have a total of 46 chromosomes again, with 23 coming from the sperm and 23 from the egg.
