Men Arent Going Extinct Yet
Not long ago, evolutionary biologists were predicting the demise of manhood (see 11/01/2001, 03/31/2004). The idea was that the Y chromosome, with no redundant copy (unlike the female’s two X chromosomes, and all others) appeared to be shriveling up and mutating itself out of existence. Now that the chimpanzee genome has been published (see 09/01/2005 story), one of the many surprises that has come to light is that the human Y chromosome appears to have kept its store of genetic information better than the chimp’s. Coupled with the discovery that the male chromosome protects itself with palindromes 06/18/2003), men seem to have a bright future ahead. That the Y chromosome of humans, having emerged later than that of apes, should be in better condition than that of chimpanzees seems an evolutionary conundrum.
Sources: MSNBC News, EurekAlert, Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Another evolutionary speculation has been shot down. Keep up the good work.