Researchers have claimed that there is a worldwide decline of the Y chromosome which carries genes that are crucial for the development of the male reproductive organs, such as testicles, et al! Hence, there is a possibility that men will go extinct as …
Researchers have claimed that there is a worldwide decline of the Y chromosome which carries genes that are crucial for the development of the male reproductive organs, such as testicles, et al! Hence, there is a possibility that men will go extinct as they typically have one X and one Y chromosome (XY), while females have two X chromosomes (XX). The Y chromosome is much smaller than the X chromosome and contains fewer genes. However, biologists have assured that men are here to stay, in spite of the new finding!
Jennifer A Marshall Graves, the Distinguished Professor at La Trobe University, Melbourne and Honorary Professor at ANU, the University of Canberra, was heard mentioning recently that the Y chromosome was "running out of time". According to her, the Y chromosome has lost 1,393 of its original 1,438 genes over the past 300 million years, with only 45 genes remaining. Therefore, the Y chromosome could disappear entirely in the next 11 million years! As expected, such a revelation has raised fears about the future of male offspring and human survival.
It may be noted that a 2022 study published in peer review journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science gave a glimmer of hope by suggesting that the spiny rat successfully evolved a new male-determining gene. It offered hope for the future of humanity, too. Earlier, researchers discovered that the spiny rat, a rodent species native to Japan, developed a new male-determining gene even after losing its Y chromosome entirely. Led by Asato Kuroiwa at Hokkaido University, researchers found that most Y chromosome genes in spiny rats had relocated to other chromosomes as they identified a small DNA duplication near the SOX9 gene on chromosome 3 that was present in all male spiny rats, but absent in females. The study mentioned: "The Y chromosome's loss has not been fatal for the spiny rat; instead, it has adapted by finding an alternative way to determine sex."
On the basis of the above-mentioned study carried out a couple of years ago, biologists have expressed hope that human beings could evolve a new sex-determining gene in order to survive and reproduce without a Y chromosome! Biologists are of the opinion that the previous finding is significant as it demonstrates that mammals can develop alternative sex-determining mechanisms by adapting a genetic shift. At the same time, they have admitted that this evolutionary change would have some implications for human evolution, stating that the development of multiple sex-determining systems in different human populations could lead to the emergence of new human species! "We could see the rise of several distinct human species, each with its own unique sex-determining mechanism," stressed Professor Graves.
Interestingly, some biologists argue that the Y chromosome might persist indefinitely, while others believe that its extinction is inevitable. However, the majority of them have agreed that the future of human evolution would be a complex one. As there is a possibility that the emergence of different sex-determining systems could lead to significant genetic diversity, it could also trigger a war of the sex genes, leading to the separation of new species. Scientists have warned that the Earth could be home to several distinct human species, each with its unique genetic makeup, in the next 11 million years. The disappearance of the Y chromosome might even have catastrophic consequences, leading to the complete extinction of the human species. Hence, the future of human beings remains uncertain.
Meanwhile, a section of biologists has expressed hope that the latest findings would certainly open new avenues for research into sex determination and human evolution. They have opined that the new study would allow researchers to concentrate on the future of human diversity and survival!
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