Are males becoming extinct?

(Public Domain)

Although some folks have been complaining that it’s hard to find a good man these days, that is not

because males are becoming biologically extinct.

In fact, Danielle Wiener-Bronner of The Wire writes that Men Are Here to Stay, Thanks to the Y Chromosome’s Indestructible Genes.

It is the Y chromosome that signals the human fetus to grow male sex organs rather than default to the female ones.  

Because the Y chromosome has lost a great deal of its genes over (lots of) time, and was “significantly shorter” than the X chromosome to

begin with, some (alarmists, no doubt) worried that this was the beginning of a world without men.

Not to worry…  A recent study indicates that the “Schwarzeneggers” of this planet will be around for quite a while longer.  It now seems that in the past 25 million years, the Y chromosome has virtually quit shedding its genes.

Resources

http://www.thewire.com/national/2014/04/y-chromosome-men-genes-nature/361151/

Copyright April 27, 2014 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved