Blurred lines: Human sex chromosome swapping occurs more often than previously thoughtWritten by: Joe Caspermeyer
Arizona State University Biodesign Unit
https://biodesign.asu.edu/news/blurred-lines-human-sex-chromosome-swapping-occurs-more-often-previously-thoughtIt turns out that the rigid "line in the sand" over which the human sex chromosomes---the Y and X--- stop at to avoid crossing over is a bit blurrier than previously thought.
Contrary to the current scientific consensus, Arizona State University assistant professor Melissa Wilson Sayres has led a research team that has shown that X and Y DNA swapping may occur much more often. And this promiscuous swapping, may in turn, aid in our understanding of human history and diversity, health and disease, as well as blur rigid chromosomal interpretations of sexual identity.
"Studying our sex chromosomes has consequences for human health and for trying to understand our history," said Melissa Wilson Sayres, an assistant professor in the School of Life Sciences and member of the Biodesign Institute's Center for Evolution and Medicine. "To me, understanding the evolution of the X and Y is so important because we need to understand that there are all of these variations in the genetics of sex determination."
