Any chromosome that is not a sex chromosome, meaning any of the 22 chromosome pairs in humans that don't determine male or female.
From auto- (self) + soma (body). Coined in early 20th century genetics, the term reflects chromosomes that are independent of sex determination.
Humans have 23 chromosome pairs: 22 autosomes that control everything from your nose shape to disease resistance, and 1 sex-determining pair (XX or XY) that decides male or female.
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