Researchers identify female sex determining gene in mice

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute and the Université Cote d'Azur, together with other labs in France and Switzerland, have identified a gene which is an early determining factor of ovary development in mice.

Novel sex-determination mechanism revealed in mammals

In mammals, the distinction between male and female at the chromosomal level is due to the X and Y chromosomes. Typically, females have two X chromosomes (XX) while males have an X and a Y chromosome (XY). The Sry gene on ...

Sex, genes, the Y chromosome and the future of men

The Y chromosome, that little chain of genes that determines the sex of humans, is not as tough as you might think. In fact, if we look at the Y chromosome over the course of our evolution we've seen it shrink at an alarming ...

Unravelling the secrets of maleness

New research has identified the key to becoming male is an enzyme that "unravels" DNA to trigger male development of the embryo, a discovery that may give greater insight into intersex disorders.

Evolution of diverse sex-determining mechanisms in mammals

Scientists historically have argued that evolution proceeds through gradual development of traits. But how can incremental changes apply to the binary switch between two sexes, male or female? Researchers at Case Western ...

Understanding how chemical communication evolved in insects

All around us, insects are speaking to each other: jockeying for mates, searching for food, and trying to avoid becoming someone else's next meal. Some of this communication is easy to spot—like the flashes of fireflies ...

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