The X in Sex: How the X Chromosome Controls Our Lives

by David Bainbridge. Harvard University Press. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA; London, United Kingdom. pp. $
Table of contents

The X in sex: how the X chromosome controls our lives

In a witty and lighthearted style, the author leads us along the evolutionary path of the science of sexuality, stopping along the way to divulge key discoveries in our understanding of why boys are boys and girls are girls. This is popular science in fine form — both entertaining and informative. The comprehensive approach to X-linked diseases such as Duschenne muscular dystrophy and color blindness, as well as the consequences of anomalous X and Y pairing — for example, women born with only one X or males born XXY — would benefit families facing such complex genetic diagnoses. A fascinating look at twinning explains why female twins are less alike and less rare than male twins.

The X in Sex: How the X Chromosome Controls our Lives.

Bainbridge also investigates a possible role for the X chromosome that may help explain why women are more likely than men to suffer from autoimmune diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. Beyond providing the traditional fare of transcription and translation, Bainbridge morphs with ease from biologist to historian, drawing on a wealth of material to highlight major genetic discoveries, while painting a rich philosophical and historical picture that brings into consideration not only the biological but the religious, cultural, and ethical implications of each advance.


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  3. The Cheating Game: The Signs and Reasons People Cheat and What to Do About It!?
  4. The X in sex: how the X chromosome controls our lives?
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  6. The X in Sex: How the X Chromosome Controls Our Lives!

At that time in history, no one could have predicted that the union of national powers via intermarriages within the European monarchy would result in the deaths and illnesses of kings and heirs and even play a part in the Russian Revolution. This is not to say that the Y chromosome is the less compelling of the pair.

Bainbridge provides a prime example of science made amusing and accessible — a rare combination. His dry and lively wit suggests that some anecdotes and turns of phrase were written with a wink and a smile, and this slim volume should appeal to scientists and nonscientists alike. However, some well-intentioned analogies may at times seem frivolous or simplistic and stretch the boundaries of accuracy in the minds of more academic readers.


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    • Overall, The X in Sex represents a jargon-free journey for the layperson interested in some of the reasons why men and women are so different. National Center for Biotechnology Information , U.

    References

    Journal List J Clin Invest v. Reviewed by Brooke Urquhart Grindlinger. Open in a separate window. Skaletsky H, et al. The male-specific region of the human Y chromosome is a mosaic of discrete sequence classes. Support Center Support Center. Wilson, who independently discovered sex chromosomes the same year , it was delightful to learn that it was she who discovered that the smaller of the sex chromosomes was the male-sex determinant.

    After a discussion of the role of Sry in male differentiation, he asks whether girls are just an afterthought. He also asks us to think about sex as a restaurant, with the smoking area being a boy XY and the nonsmoking area being a girl XX , as a rather complicated way of explaining how the Y determines maleness.

    Sex Determination: More Complicated Than You Thought

    His explanation of the female default pathway and the chain reaction leading to maleness is quite nice. In the figure showing the X and Y chromosomes, the Y is upside down, with the q arm on top p. A few of his statements may not be justified, and, unfortunately, there are no citations.

    The description of the X-inactivation phenomenon is generally accurate and comprehensible, even for a reader with only a little knowledge of genetics.

    He also discusses the Xist gene quite well, but, in his figure p. What follows is a discussion of random versus paternal inactivation, including the fact that, in mouse embryos, slightly more cells switch off the maternal X than the paternal X. I was not familiar with this finding. That is not a bad teleological explanation for paternal X inactivation in the mouse placenta, but it is inappropriate for humans, who express paternal X genes in their placentas, which he fails to mention.

    Yet, he does present the idea that X-linked genes in both sexes may be hypertranscribed as a means to avoid monosomy X.