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.
Articles on X chromosome
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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?
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.
A one-size-fits-all approach may not be best for treating cardiovascular disease. Taking sex chromosomes into account could make for more effective and equitable care.
A new study of nearly 500,000 individuals finds that many genes affect same-sex behavior, including newly identified candidates that may regulate smell and sex hormones.
Understanding the sex lives of fungi can help in finding answers about disease control.
Like it or not, evidence now shows that men and women differ genetically far more profoundly that we previously recognised. An analysis from the 2017 winner of the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science.
A study in mice shows it is possible to delete extra chromosomes in a range of conditions that are associated with infertility, including Down’s syndrome.
Unlike other chromosomes, the X chromosome is inactivated in nearly all cells in women – and genes on it are active in very few tissues.
What produces the differences between men and women? Are they trivial or profound? Are they genetic or environmental, or both? And are men really closer genetically to chimpanzees than to women?
Top contributors
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Jenny Graves is a Friend of The Conversation.Distinguished Professor of Genetics and Vice Chancellor's Fellow, La Trobe University
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Professor of Evolutionary Genetics at The Milner Centre for Evolution, University of Bath
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Professor of Reproductive Medicine, University of Dundee
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Postdoctoral fellow, University of Pretoria
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Bioinformatician, Uppsala University
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Associate Professor, School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, UNSW
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Assistant Professor, University of California, San Diego
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Post-doctoral Fellow, UNSW
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Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University