The U.S. scientists says that the rapid evolution of the male sex chromosome may result in its disappearance within a few million years however that won’t mean that it is the end of males.

Penn State researchers found that the male carriers of Y chromosome are found to have evolved at a much rapid pace than the X chromosome, which is carried by both males and females. Lately, there has been a dramatic loss of genes on the chromosomes due to the rapid evolution of the Y chromosomes.

In a news release from Penn State Melissa Wilson, a graduate research fellow said, “Today, the human Y chromosome contains less than 200 genes, while the human X chromosome contains around 1,100 genes.”
Wilson further said, “We know that a few of the genes on the Y chromosome are important, such as the ones involved in the formation of sperm, but we also know that most of the genes were not important for survival because they were lost, which led to the very different numbers of genes we observe between the once-identical X and Y. Although there is evidence that the Y chromosome is still degrading, some of the surviving genes on the Y chromosome may be essential, which can be inferred because these genes have been maintained for so long.”

An associate professor of biology, Kateryna Makova who is a team leader said, “Even though some of the genes appear to be important, we still think there is a chance that the Y chromosome eventually could disappear. If this happens, it won’t be the end of males. Instead, a new pair of non-sex chromosomes likely will start on the path to becoming sex chromosomes.”

The Penn State team also plans to create a computer model to identify how long it will take for the Y chromosome to disappear and the reason causing the Y chromosome’s to deteriorate.
If you want to have a look at the study then it appeared in the July 17 issue of the journal PLoS Genetics.