The Y chromosome, which determines male sex, is likely to vanish over time! According to a 2022 study on Amami spiny rats by an international group of researchers, the Y chromosome has been degenerating and in a few million years, they might disappear. The question raised ever since the study's publication is whether this will lead to the extinction of men. While scientists are studying whether it's a possibility, many also say a new male-determining gene can also be evolved.
Here are some interesting observations from the study:
1) It can fundamentally change human reproduction and evolution. While some are studying whether humans will take the path of female-only vertebrate species that make eggs out of their genes, many experts say the Y chromosome has enough defence mechanisms to ensure its survival.
2) The two branches of rodents, on which the study was conducted, lost their Y chromosome and survived.
3) Over time, the earth can have several different human species, each unique by their sex-determining systems.
4) The chromosome is disappearing as it has lost a significant number of active genes. It lost about five genes per million years. If this continues, the chromosome can vanish entirely in the next 11 million years.
