By enforcing a ‘sex test’ for athletes, the International Olympic Committee has reignited the debate about what a ‘level playing field’ actually means in sport.
- Distinguished Professor of Genetics and Vice Chancellor's Fellow, La Trobe University
The Y chromosome doesn’t seem to do much except determine sex – but its loss in older men might be linked to heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s.
New data reveals differences in gene activity in the brains of men and women. They start in the womb and evolved millions of years ago
Los humanos tienen aproximadamente el mismo número de bebés de ambos sexos, pero puede haber variaciones entre familias. Un nuevo análisis genético de enormes poblaciones humanas explora las razones por las que esto es así
Humans have roughly the same number of male and female babies, but there may be variation between families. A new genetic analysis of huge human populations explores the reasons why
Females have twice as many copies of some genes as males do – and exactly how different species manage this imbalance has puzzled scientists for decades.
Uma misteriosa lei centenária da genética pode explicar o intrigante legado genético de nossos extintos “primos” neandertais
A mysterious century-old law of genetics may explain the puzzling genetic legacy of our extinct Neanderthal cousins.
A new cross-species study shows same-sex sexual behaviour has social benefits for groups, which explains its high frequency in humans and other mammals.
DNA of the male-determining Y chromosome has been completely sequenced end-to-end, and it’s just as weird as we expected. Will we finally be able to understand how it works?
Evolutionary geneticist Jenny Graves loves classical choral music, but grew tired of its biblical themes. So she set out to write an alternative based in science.
Some animals appear to use a ‘parliament’ of genes to determine sex. But a closer look reveals these are the exception rather than the rule.
Le chromosome Y humain pourrait disparaître avec le temps, mettant notre espèce en péril. Mais certains rongeurs se sont très bien débrouillés sans lui – et nous savons maintenant comment.
The human Y chromosome could disappear over time, putting our species in jeopardy. But some rodents have managed just fine without it – and we now know how.
The monumental Earth Biogenome Project has galvanised hundreds of geneticists and bioinformaticists from all over the world.
Les scientifiques ont eu la surprise de constater que deux femelles avaient pondu des œufs non fécondés par des mâles. Mais ces conceptions ne semblent pas donner d’individus en bonne santé.
Researchers were surprised to find two female condors had managed to hatch chicks that had no fathers. But virgin birth does not seem to produce healthy birds that could strengthen the population.
Our genomes are built from the tiny chromosomes of a small spineless creature that lived 684 million years ago.
The real message is how old you are when you first have sex and have your first child is controlled by a little bit of nature and a lot of nurture.
Female moles evolved to have high testosterone levels, making them fiercer diggers and mothers. Female hyenas share this trait, but it means they must give birth through a male-like phallus.
An intriguing link could help us understand why men are at higher risk from COVID-19 than women. It also might pave the way for a potential treatment.
Is it genes, chromosomes, hormones, the immune sytem – or behaviour – that makes men more susceptible to the deadly disease?
When a male bluehead wrasse is removed from the group he dominates, the largest female changes sex, rapidly transforming ovaries into sperm-producing testes. Molecular research shows how.
In science, we look at the evidence and try to find the theory that best explains it. And that’s what happened when it came to figuring out evolution.
Parkinson’s disease is twice as common in men than in women. A sex gene called SRY, found only in men, could go some way to explaining this – and might pave the way for potential treatments.
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