This chapter discusses the difficulties in fully sequencing the Y chromosome, including repeated sequences and degeneration. It also explains the role of the Y chromosome in determining maleness and variations in sex determination.
Twenty years after the first pass at sequencing the entire human genome, the Y chromosome has finally been fully decoded. Madeleine Finlay speaks to Mark Jobling, professor of genetics at the University of Leicester, about why it has proved so tricky, the role of the Y chromosome in our bodies, and the likelihood of it eventually dying out altogether. Help support our independent journalism at
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