[/caption]According to newscientist and io9, an extra set of female genes appears to make males more masculine. The discovery suggests that sex chromosomes play a role in directing behaviour that extends beyond the effects of hormones. To find out if sex chromosomes play a role in sex-specific behaviours beyond dictating which hormones are present, Scientists took advantage of a mutation in mice that causes the sex-determining region of the male Y chromosome to jump to a non-sex chromosome. The mice used were XX male and XXY male nice. While these mice had the same level of testosterone as normal XY mice, they displayed more masculine sexual behaviours. The finding tallies with research that suggests a female's second "inactivated" X chromosome may actually express a quarter of its genes. These could alter the expression of genes on other chromosomes, and might be partly responsible for behavioural differences between the sexes. If a region of the X chromosome that is linked to sexual activity can be identified, its protein products could be a target for libido-boosting therapies.
In society, men are seen as being more sexually driven. This may lead one to think that a man with an extra X chromosome would be more women like or less sexually driven. I think this concept does seem a little ironic. The extra X chromosome does the exact opposite of what many would think. It makes men more masculine. This shows that the body works in complex ways.
I actually did this article as well it is very intresting how one extra gene can make a male so different. Until reading this article i didnt think that it was possible for a male to have an XX genotype. The pictures of such people online are very.............. intresting to say the least
ReplyDeleteThe idea that a male containing extra female genes is more masculine is a very ironic concept. I find it also interesting that the more masculine males still had the same testosterone levels as the males with the correct amount of X chromosomes. The way that the extra sex chromosome plays role in behavior would be an intriguing study.
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