Wednesday, April 16, 2014
'Putting the X and Y in SEXY'
How chromosomal genes turn us into boys, girls,
and sometimes a bit of both
An Illustrated Presentation By
Scott Gilbert, Swarthmore College
Lecture at 6:00 PM
Please register here for this free event.
Hermaphrodite (Pitch Card), Unknown Photographer, early 1900′s
The idea that mammals with two X chromosomes become females while mammals with an X and Y chromosome become males was discovered in 1905, but scientists are still uncovering how the genes on these chromosomes cause the development of testes and ovaries and how these organs organize tissues to become either male or female. Males and females take the same parts and modify them in different ways—we’re only now figuring out how this is done. Sometimes, there is a disconnect between what the genes say we are and how we actually turn out. Maybe it is time to redefine our two-sex world.
Dr. Scott Gilbert is the Howard A. Schneiderman Professor Emeritus of Biology at Swarthmore College. His award-winning research looks at the ways in which evolution is a product of embryological changes. He is the author of three textbooks and has published extensively in academic journals. The recipient of numerous award, Gilbert is a Finland Distinguished Professor at the University of Helskinki.