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Where are sperm and eggs produced?

All organisms that require two parents to create offspring go through sexual reproduction. This entails the meeting of two gametes (halves of a whole set of DNA) in order to create one new organism that is a mixing of traits from each parent in the meeting. 


Humans use this method in order to create offspring, as it takes one male and one female. The male and female versions of these gametes are the sperm and...

All organisms that require two parents to create offspring go through sexual reproduction. This entails the meeting of two gametes (halves of a whole set of DNA) in order to create one new organism that is a mixing of traits from each parent in the meeting. 


Humans use this method in order to create offspring, as it takes one male and one female. The male and female versions of these gametes are the sperm and egg respectively. Each of these are made in different locations based on the gender of the individual.


In males, sperm cells are produced via meiosis in the testes. For each beginning cell with the full 46 chromosomes one male will make 4 non-identical sperm cells with only 23 chromosomes. When they are released they travel through the Vas deferens (what they snip when a male receives a vasectomy) and through the urethra. 


In females the eggs are produced in the ovaries. Where males make 4 sperm cells with each cell division cycle females make only 1 viable egg cell and 3 "feeder" cells that will degrade in order to feed the one egg cell. This ensures the one egg has a better chance at survival. This difference in number of created cells is where the phrase "eggs are expensive, sperm is cheap" comes from. After the eggs are produced and when the female is having her period, the egg will descend down the fallopian tube the ovary is attached to and down into the uterus where, if it was fertilized in the ovary by a sperm cell, it will grow into a new human! I hope this helped you better understand the human reproductive system. 

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