líkamsfrumna

Líkamsfrumna is an Icelandic term that translates to "somatic cell" in English. Somatic cells are any biological cells forming the body of a multicellular organism other than gametes, germ cells, gametocytes or undifferentiated cells. In contrast, germ cells are involved in reproduction, and gametes are the reproductive cells (sperm and egg).

Somatic cells are diploid, meaning they contain two complete sets of chromosomes, one inherited from each parent. This is in contrast to gametes, which are haploid and contain only one set of chromosomes. The vast majority of cells in a human body are somatic cells, including skin cells, muscle cells, nerve cells, and bone cells. These cells are responsible for the structure and function of an organism's body.

The process by which somatic cells divide is called mitosis. Mitosis results in two daughter cells that are genetically identical to the parent cell. This is crucial for growth, repair, and asexual reproduction in some organisms. Mutations or damage occurring in somatic cells affect only the individual organism and are not passed on to offspring. This is a key distinction from mutations in germline cells, which can be inherited. Understanding the role and behavior of líkamsfrumna is fundamental to many areas of biology, including genetics, developmental biology, and medicine.