clipped from: www.dailymail.co.uk
By
Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 12:18 PM on 21st May 2009
Men are on the road to extinction as their genes shrink and slowly fade away, a genetic expert warned today.
The researcher in human sex chromosomes said the male Y chromosome was dying and could one day run out.
However readers shouldn't worry just yet - the change is not due to take place for another five million years.
Professor Jennifer Graves revealed the bleak future to medical students at a public lecture at the Royal College of Surgeons (RCSI) in Ireland.
But all is not lost. She said men may follow the path of a type of rodent which still manages to reproduce despite not having the vital genes that make up the Y chromosome.
'You need a Y chromosome to be male,' said Prof Graves.
The male Y chromosome has a gene (SRY) which switches on the development of testis and pumps out male hormones that determine maleness.