Question

body cells are known as somatic cells.
how does one somatic cell compare to the other somatic cells of an individual organism?
○a. they contain completely unique information and descend from the same cell.
○b. they contain the same genetic information and descend from the same cell
○c. they are all exactly identical to each other,
○d. they are all completely different from each other

Explanation:

• Somatic cells are formed by mitosis. Mitosis is a process where a single cell divides to produce two daughter cells that are genetically identical to the parent cell.
• All somatic cells in an individual organism descend from the zygote (the initial cell formed by the fusion of sperm and egg).
• While somatic cells have the same genetic information (DNA), they can differentiate into different cell types (like muscle cells, skin cells etc.) based on gene expression, but their genetic blueprint (the DNA sequence) is the same as they come from the same zygote through mitotic divisions.

Answer:

B. They contain the same genetic information and descend from the same cell.