Weird Animal Genomes, Sex and the Future of Men

One of the interesting discoveries in genetic research has been that the poorly designed Y chromosome, that creates males, is degrading rapidly and will disappear in just 5 million years, a relatively short period in evolutionary terms.

Professor Jenny Graves, Distinguished Professor at the Department of Genetics at LaTrobe University, Australia, outlined her research on sex-determining genes in Australian animals to shed light on human genetics. Taking advantage of their distant relationship to humans, she explored the origin, function and fate of human sex genes and chromosomes, predicting that the Y chromosome will disappear.

“If humans do not become extinct, new sex determining genes and chromosomes will evolve, maybe leading to the evolution of new hominid species” said Professor Graves at a lecture co-hosted today by the Australian Embassy in Jakarta and the Indonesian and Australian Academy of Sciences.

Chairing the session was President of the Indonesian Academy of Sciences (AIPI), Professor Sangkot Marzuki. Professor Graves is the Secretary of Education at the Australian Academy of Science.

“AIPI is very pleased to support today’s lecture which presents an opportunity for Australian and Indonesian researchers to share the latest developments in science and to strengthen research collaboration between our two countries,” said Professor Marzuki.

Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Greg Moriarty welcomed the increasing tempo of scientific collaboration with Indonesia.

”I am pleased to say that the science and research partnership between Australia and Indonesia continues to strengthen at the government, institutional and societal level,” said Ambassador Moriarty. “This latest science lecture shows the level of exchange and knowledge sharing taking place between our two countries.”

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