Researchers: Y Chromosome Could Disappear
By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Whether you know it or not the biggest difference between men and women is that men have an XY pairing of chromosomes and women have an XX pairing. Try bringing that up at a romantic dinner with a glass of wine to take the fun out of the evening.
There's new information, at least theoretically, and if you really want to ruin the evening – or perhaps liven it up - tell your partner that the Y chromosome is in danger of disappearing and it may be the swan song for men on this planet.
Researchers at Penn State say there is a dramatic loss of genes from the human Y chromosome and it could eventually lead to it's complete disappearance over the next million years or so.
While some genes seem to be essential, like those for sperm development, most have been lost, and the researchers say that they found evidence that many are on a track to disappear as well.
The theory is the Y chromosome will change and men could be very different - which might make many women very happy.
