Startling discovery about the Y chromosome.
Hey, have you ever wondered how you became a boy or a girl? It’s all decided by tiny things inside your body called chromosomes.
Boys have something called a Y chromosome (girls don’t have it), but scientists are saying this Y chromosome is slowly shrinking and might even disappear one day! But don’t worry - it’s not going to happen anytime soon.
The role of the Y chromosome.
Imagine chromosomes as recipe books that tell our bodies how to grow. We all have 23 pairs of these “books”, and the 23rd pair decides if you're a boy or a girl.
Girls have two X chromosomes (like double chocolate cake), while boys have one X and one Y (like a chocolate and vanilla combo). The Y is the one that makes boys!
The Y’s decline.
Long, long ago, the Y chromosome had lots of genes, just like the X chromosome. But over millions of years, the Y chromosome started losing its genes. It’s like a book losing its pages!
Scientists from the University of Kent say that if this keeps happening, the Y chromosome might disappear one day. But don’t worry - this won’t happen for millions of years!
The future of boys.
Even if the Y chromosome disappears, scientists believe that boys will still exist. Just like how some animals, like certain rats, have found new ways to become boys without a Y chromosome, humans might find a new way, too.
Who knows? The future could be full of surprises!
