X's and Y's
Nature International Weekly Journal of Science published an article on January 13th by researchers at MIT who found that the male Y chromosome has evolved over the past 6 million years to be 30% different than that of our closest animal relatives, chimpanzees. Women and chimps differ by only 2%.
This news is ground breaking because prior to this study researchers suspected that the X chromosome was evolving more quickly and that the Y chromosome was in danger of extinction.
Almost as good as the
HuffPo
article summarizing the findings of this study are the comments
accompanying it. Morphing from speculation on the Y chromosome being a
genetic testing ground to political jokes to stereotypical low blows
aimed at dudes, this study incited a whole new bout of the battle of
the sexes.
Personally, I feel like the conversation about
evolution has grown beyond gender genetics and moved into more
intellectual territory. How have women's roles in developed societies
altered the species as a whole? As the playing field between the sexes
continues to level how do the choices we make as couples to reproduce
or not reproduce effect the planet? Though these findings are
revolutionary for the field of genetics, there is a lot more sociology
at hand when it comes to modern gender relations than just the X's and
Y's.
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