A Disappearing Y Chromosome: The End Of Men-Kind?

Researchers now have reason to believe that the Y chromosome is more than it seems to be, but progressively shrinking. For a long time, scientists had considered it to be a “genetic wasteland”. Physiologically, at most the Y chromosome lends for sex determination and sperm production.

The X & Y Chromosome

Each and every one of us has a set of chromosomes; 23 pairs to be exact which makes up our congenital traits; from eye colour to height, predisposition to diseases and even behaviour. Every cell of the body carry a set of chromosomes, these threadlike structures are what makes us, us. Additionally, amongst the 23 pairs is a pair of sex chromosomes. In women, this sex pair consists of two X chromosomes, while men have one X and one Y chromosome. A gene within the Y chromosome acts as the “master switch” by triggering the development of testes in embryos.

In 2003, genetics professor Brian Sykes predicted the demise of the Y chromosome, and of men, in as little as 100,000 years. This prediction left the scientific society both shaken and somewhat divided. In his book Adam’s Curse: A Future without Men, Sykes makes his predictions based on comparisons between the human X and Y sex chromosomes. The X & Y chromosomes were once thought to be identical in the early history of mammals. However, the Y chromosome now has about 78 genes, compared with about 800 in the X chromosome.

The End Of “Men-Kind”?

Scientist, Jenny Graves from the La Trobe University, Australia, claims that, if you take a long-term perspective, the Y chromosomes are inevitably doomed. She argues that the processes of genes being lost or created on the Y chromosome lead to fertility problems. In addition, “I’m quite certain,” said Lars Forsberg, an associate professor of medical genetics at Uppsala University in Sweden, “that the loss of the Y chromosome with age explains a very large proportion of the increased mortality in men compared to women.”

In an E-book by Darren Griffin, Professor of Genetics and Peter Elis from Molecular Biology and Reproduction in Kent University argue that even if the Y chromosome in humans did disappear, it did not necessarily mean that males themselves are on their way out. Certain species for instance, the Amami spiny rats) have lost their Y chromosomes completely, but males and females are still necessary for reproduction. In these cases, the SRY “master switch” gene that determines genetic maleness has moved to a different chromosome. In other words,  these species produce males without needing a Y chromosome.

Plus, we’ve got a secret weapon- Genetic Engineering.

Dodged that one didn’t we?

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Tags

• genetics
• men's health
• research