Somatic cell facts for kids

All the tiny parts that make up your body, called cells, are mostly somatic cells. Think of them as all the cells that build your body, like skin cells, muscle cells, and brain cells. The only cells that are NOT somatic cells are your gametes, which are the special cells used for reproduction – like egg cells in girls and sperm cells in boys.

What Are Somatic Cells?

Somatic cells are the main building blocks of your body. They make up all your organs, tissues, and everything that isn't directly involved in making a new organism. For example, the cells in your bones, blood, and hair are all somatic cells.

How Somatic Cells Are Different

Most somatic cells have a full set of chromosomes. In humans, this means they have 46 chromosomes, arranged in 23 pairs. This is called being diploid. Imagine it like having two copies of every instruction book for building your body.

On the other hand, gametes (egg and sperm cells) only have half the number of chromosomes. In humans, they have 23 chromosomes. This is called being haploid. They only have one copy of each instruction book. This is important because when an egg and sperm combine, they create a new cell with a full set of 46 chromosomes.

How Somatic Cells Divide

Somatic cells are always busy growing and repairing your body. They do this by dividing through a process called mitosis. When a somatic cell divides by mitosis, it makes two new cells that are exactly identical to the original cell. It's like making a perfect copy! This is how your body grows, heals cuts, and replaces old cells.

Gametes, however, are made in a different way. They come from special cells called germ cells that divide using a process called meiosis. Meiosis is different because it creates cells with only half the number of chromosomes, which are needed for reproduction.

See also

In Spanish: Célula somática para niños