Y Chromosome Fades, Yet Males Persist: Amami Spiny Rat Reveals a New Route to Maleness
TL;DR Summary
New research shows the Y chromosome is decaying in mammals, but the Amami spiny rat demonstrates that maleness can be controlled by an autosomal SOX9 enhancer—driven by a 17,000-base-pair duplication on chromosome 3—allowing male development without the SRY gene. This turnover indicates that the Y’s loss does not doom a species and suggests other mammals may use alternative genetic switches, though the exact mechanisms vary and require further study.
- The Y Chromosome Is Vanishing, And the Effects on Men Have Already Begun The Daily Galaxy
- Tracking mysteries of loss of Y chromosome, cancer Harvard Gazette
- No, the Y Chromosome Is Not Disappearing and Male Births Are Not at Risk srilanka.factcrescendo.com
- Men lose their Y chromosome as they age — and it’s no longer harmless Daily Nation
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