You have 10 trillion somatic cells (chapter 15), all derived from a single zygote by mitosis.

Each round of mitosis produces 2 daughter cells:

• 10 rounds gives 2¹⁰ = 1024 cells, about 1 thousand.
• 20 rounds gives 2²⁰ = 1,048,576, about 1 million
• 30 rounds gives 2³⁰ = 1,073,741,824, about 1 billion.
• 40 rounds gives 2⁴⁰ = 1,099,511,627,776, about 1 trillion.
• 3 more rounds gives 2³ = 8 additional multiplier.

So, your average cell has divided 43 - 44 times since the zygote stage to reach 10 trillion.

This calculation does not include gametes: eggs and sperm.

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