Here's why:

* Diploid organisms: Humans are diploid organisms, meaning they have two copies of each chromosome.

* Homologous chromosomes: These two copies are called homologous chromosomes. One copy comes from the mother and one from the father.

* Alleles: Alleles are different versions of a gene. Since you have two copies of each chromosome, you inherit two alleles for each gene, one from each parent.

This inheritance pattern ensures that offspring receive a combination of genetic material from both parents, contributing to genetic diversity.