Sex determination at birth is decided on the chromosomes the baby has. A female has two X chromosomes, whereas a male has one X and one Y chromosome. According to Medline Plus, in every cell, humans ...

For a long time, so-called satellite DNA was considered largely worthless. Now, ETH Zurich researchers have shown in fruit ...

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Why do humans rely on XY chromosomes to determine sex, while birds use ZW—and many reptiles use neither, letting temperature ...

Holly has a degree in Medical Biochemistry from the University of Leicester. Her scientific interests include genomics, personalized medicine, and bioethics.View full profile Holly has a degree in ...

Nearly two decades ago, Australian evolutionary biologist Professor Jenny Graves sparked one of the most persistent genetic debates of our time. In a commentary that followed her 2002 research, she ...

Each human cell contains 23 pairs of chromosomes that carry DNA within their nucleus. The X and Y chromosomes, commonly referred to as the sex chromosomes, are one such pair. They determine the ...

Human sex chromosomes originated from a pair of autosomes, the ordinary or non-sex chromosomes that contain the majority of our genome and come in identical pairs. That ancestral pair of autosomes ...

Scientists published a full genetic sequence of the genes that make some white campions male, and hope their work could unlock how the flower got that way. By Veronique Greenwood The vast majority of ...

Men tend to lose the Y chromosome from their cells as they age. But because the Y bears few genes other than for male determination, it was thought this loss would not affect health. But evidence has ...

I teach a university course called Hormones and Behaviour. What surprises students is that biological sex is not produced by a single switch. What surprises me is that many students have never been ...

Cholesterol-lowering statins are among the most widely prescribed drugs in the world. They can have side effects, however, including muscle pain that affects twice as many women as men. When Karen ...