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The X in Sex: How the X Chromosome Controls Our Lives
A tiny scrap of genetic information determines our sex; it also consigns many of us to a life of disease, directs or disrupts the everyday working of our bodies, and forces women to live as genetic chimeras. The culprit--so necessary and yet the source of such upheaval--is the X chromosome, and this is its story. An enlightening and entertaining tour of the cultural and natural history of this intriguing member of the genome, The X in Sex traces the journey toward our current understanding of the nature of X. From its chance discovery in the nineteenth century to the promise and implications of ongoing research, David Bainbridge shows how the X evolved and where it and its counterpart Y are going, how it helps assign developing human babies their sex--and maybe even their sexuality--and how it affects our lives in infinitely complex and subtle ways. X offers cures for disease, challenges our cultural, ethical, and scientific assumptions about maleness and femaleness, and has even reshaped our views of human evolution and human nature.
216 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2003
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June 8, 2022
Okay, class, settle down, it’s time for a refresher in human genetics. The basis for inheritability is DNA – Deoxyribonucleic acid. The fact that all living things use DNA to pass along their genes is Exhibit A for evolution, showing the unbroken chain of life that stretches back to the first self-replicating cells, between 3.8 and 4 billion years ago.
DNA forms the famous double helix: think of a ladder twisted around its long axis, so that it spirals up and up. From our father we get one of the side rails (made of phosphates and sugars), and one-half of each nucleotide that forms the rungs of the ladder. From our mother we get the other side rail and the other half of the rung. The rungs are made up of cytosine, guanine, adenine, or thymine.
The human genome consists of approximately 4.2 billion nucleotides, a small percentage of which code for the 23,000 or so genes that we are made of. About 99% of nucleotides do not code for proteins, and were once called “junk DNA.” Some of it is true junk, such as old and nonfunctional copies of genes; however, as more is known about the genome it appears that some of these areas play important roles in our lives. Nessa Carey has written a book called Junk DNA that explains the latest science on this.
When the genome was being sequenced around 2000, most experts were expecting there to be between 60,000 and 150,000 genes, and were shocked that the number was only about 23,000, not much more than cats or dogs. The tiny water flea Daphnia has 31,000, as does the tomato plant. Genes code for proteins, and many of ours can fold into multiple three dimensional shapes, so we can make 100,000 proteins from only 23,000 genes.
The protein sequences are grouped into twenty-three chromosomes, and again, we get one set from each of our parents. There is no logical sequence to the genes in each chromosome; they are where they are simply because of our long evolutionary history, keeping whatever improved survival chances no matter where it appeared in the genome.
The exception is the last chromosome, number 23, which is special enough to have names for its maternal and paternal contributions: X and Y. Everyone gets an X from their mother, and either an X or a Y from their father. If the resulting child is XX she is female, and if XY he is male. The reason you always get an X from your mother is, of course, that she only has X’s to give. Note that this also means that every male inherits a full set of female sex genes via his mother’s X, and can pass them along if he fathers a girl; this is how she could inherit traits from her paternal grandmother, even though the intermediate generation – her father – is male.
X is a full size chromosome, with around 1600 genes, many of which have nothing to do with sex. Y, however, is just a stub, with its active genes mostly coding for male sexuality. “[M]ost of the Y chromosome is a wasteland, full of junk fragments of damaged genes interspersed with a few genes that have managed to cling on through the bad times.” (p. 60) The reason it has shrunk so much is that its genes have only a 50% chance of being passed down each generation, so the ones that were not sex related gradually moved to another chromosome via random mutations or died out altogether.
The fact that X has many non-sex genes on it, and men have only one copy, can spell big, often fatal, trouble. We all have bad DNA in our genome, quite a lot of it in fact, as might be expected when 4.2 billion nucleotides need to be copied with every cell division. Fortunately, getting the same genes from each parent acts as a failsafe: where you got bad DNA from your mother, chances are you got a good batch from your father, and vice versa, so you are healthy. This also shows why incest is very bad: the more closely two people are related, the greater the likelihood that they will have bad stretches of DNA in the same places, and will pass them along to their children.
Since males get only one X, if there is bad DNA on it they have no fallback from their father’s side. Several notable diseases are a direct result of this, such as hemophilia, which ran like a red thread through the royal families of Europe. Queen Victoria is thought to have been a carrier, meaning that, as a female, she inherited two X’s, one of which was defective. Since she had one good copy, she herself was healthy but each of her children had a 50% chance of getting the bad gene. If a male child got the bad copy he would have the disease. If the child was female, however, she would probably be healthy but could pass the bad gene on to the next generation, continuing the cycle. Female hemophilia is possible, but very rare compared to its incidence in males, since it requires the child to get the bad gene from both parents.
Another terrifying disease is muscular dystrophy: Bend your arm at the elbow and the muscle fibers of your biceps contract and slide over one another to pull on the tendon attached to the bone. But any time one thing slides over another there is friction, and friction can destroy muscle tissue just as it can destroy your car’s engine. Healthy people have a microscopic layer of fat and oil over the surface of their muscles, providing the necessary protection, which is held in place by tiny pins just a few millionths of an inch long. The gene to make those pins is on the X chromosome, and you can see where this is going. Without the ability to make those pins the lubricating layer slides off, and muscles are damaged over time, usually starting with the large ones in the legs, and then progressively affecting others. Few people with this disease survive beyond their early twenties.
This book will take you on a journey into the strange life of X, and its effects on both women and men. It starts with a discussion of what triggers maleness or femaleness. For a long time, going back at least to the days of Aristotle, it was believed (by men, mostly), that maleness was an active characteristic, and femaleness a passive on. In other words, if you couldn’t become a man, too bad, I guess you have to be a woman. Not surprisingly, modern genetics paints a much more complex picture, but it appears that a gene on the Y chromosome, called Sry, plays a key role in starting a cascading sequence of actions that lead, one after another, to the development of male sexual traits.
There is also an interesting discussion about how women’s bodies deal with having double X chromosomes. Since the 1930s researchers have wondered why this does not cause problems, because after all, “many of the most common genetic diseases of the human race occur because babies inherit extra chromosomes, or even just extra fragments of chromosomes. For example with an extra chromosome 21 have Down syndrome, and inheritance of extra copies of most other chromosomes is usually fatal long before birth.” (p. 135) The answer, quite remarkably is that
One consequence of this is that identical twin girls are less identical than boys, who have only one X, which both of them use in the same way.
Despite its title, this book does not attempt to titillate the reader. There are a few moments, that usually begin with something like, “that reminds me of something interesting,” but there is nothing here that would make anyone roll their eyes or shake their head. It is written for a general audience and requires no special knowledge of science or biology. This is a good introduction to the science of sex genetics, and has plenty of moments where I found myself saying, “Hmm, that’s interesting….”
DNA forms the famous double helix: think of a ladder twisted around its long axis, so that it spirals up and up. From our father we get one of the side rails (made of phosphates and sugars), and one-half of each nucleotide that forms the rungs of the ladder. From our mother we get the other side rail and the other half of the rung. The rungs are made up of cytosine, guanine, adenine, or thymine.
The human genome consists of approximately 4.2 billion nucleotides, a small percentage of which code for the 23,000 or so genes that we are made of. About 99% of nucleotides do not code for proteins, and were once called “junk DNA.” Some of it is true junk, such as old and nonfunctional copies of genes; however, as more is known about the genome it appears that some of these areas play important roles in our lives. Nessa Carey has written a book called Junk DNA that explains the latest science on this.
When the genome was being sequenced around 2000, most experts were expecting there to be between 60,000 and 150,000 genes, and were shocked that the number was only about 23,000, not much more than cats or dogs. The tiny water flea Daphnia has 31,000, as does the tomato plant. Genes code for proteins, and many of ours can fold into multiple three dimensional shapes, so we can make 100,000 proteins from only 23,000 genes.
The protein sequences are grouped into twenty-three chromosomes, and again, we get one set from each of our parents. There is no logical sequence to the genes in each chromosome; they are where they are simply because of our long evolutionary history, keeping whatever improved survival chances no matter where it appeared in the genome.
The exception is the last chromosome, number 23, which is special enough to have names for its maternal and paternal contributions: X and Y. Everyone gets an X from their mother, and either an X or a Y from their father. If the resulting child is XX she is female, and if XY he is male. The reason you always get an X from your mother is, of course, that she only has X’s to give. Note that this also means that every male inherits a full set of female sex genes via his mother’s X, and can pass them along if he fathers a girl; this is how she could inherit traits from her paternal grandmother, even though the intermediate generation – her father – is male.
X is a full size chromosome, with around 1600 genes, many of which have nothing to do with sex. Y, however, is just a stub, with its active genes mostly coding for male sexuality. “[M]ost of the Y chromosome is a wasteland, full of junk fragments of damaged genes interspersed with a few genes that have managed to cling on through the bad times.” (p. 60) The reason it has shrunk so much is that its genes have only a 50% chance of being passed down each generation, so the ones that were not sex related gradually moved to another chromosome via random mutations or died out altogether.
The fact that X has many non-sex genes on it, and men have only one copy, can spell big, often fatal, trouble. We all have bad DNA in our genome, quite a lot of it in fact, as might be expected when 4.2 billion nucleotides need to be copied with every cell division. Fortunately, getting the same genes from each parent acts as a failsafe: where you got bad DNA from your mother, chances are you got a good batch from your father, and vice versa, so you are healthy. This also shows why incest is very bad: the more closely two people are related, the greater the likelihood that they will have bad stretches of DNA in the same places, and will pass them along to their children.
Since males get only one X, if there is bad DNA on it they have no fallback from their father’s side. Several notable diseases are a direct result of this, such as hemophilia, which ran like a red thread through the royal families of Europe. Queen Victoria is thought to have been a carrier, meaning that, as a female, she inherited two X’s, one of which was defective. Since she had one good copy, she herself was healthy but each of her children had a 50% chance of getting the bad gene. If a male child got the bad copy he would have the disease. If the child was female, however, she would probably be healthy but could pass the bad gene on to the next generation, continuing the cycle. Female hemophilia is possible, but very rare compared to its incidence in males, since it requires the child to get the bad gene from both parents.
Another terrifying disease is muscular dystrophy: Bend your arm at the elbow and the muscle fibers of your biceps contract and slide over one another to pull on the tendon attached to the bone. But any time one thing slides over another there is friction, and friction can destroy muscle tissue just as it can destroy your car’s engine. Healthy people have a microscopic layer of fat and oil over the surface of their muscles, providing the necessary protection, which is held in place by tiny pins just a few millionths of an inch long. The gene to make those pins is on the X chromosome, and you can see where this is going. Without the ability to make those pins the lubricating layer slides off, and muscles are damaged over time, usually starting with the large ones in the legs, and then progressively affecting others. Few people with this disease survive beyond their early twenties.
This book will take you on a journey into the strange life of X, and its effects on both women and men. It starts with a discussion of what triggers maleness or femaleness. For a long time, going back at least to the days of Aristotle, it was believed (by men, mostly), that maleness was an active characteristic, and femaleness a passive on. In other words, if you couldn’t become a man, too bad, I guess you have to be a woman. Not surprisingly, modern genetics paints a much more complex picture, but it appears that a gene on the Y chromosome, called Sry, plays a key role in starting a cascading sequence of actions that lead, one after another, to the development of male sexual traits.
There is also an interesting discussion about how women’s bodies deal with having double X chromosomes. Since the 1930s researchers have wondered why this does not cause problems, because after all, “many of the most common genetic diseases of the human race occur because babies inherit extra chromosomes, or even just extra fragments of chromosomes. For example with an extra chromosome 21 have Down syndrome, and inheritance of extra copies of most other chromosomes is usually fatal long before birth.” (p. 135) The answer, quite remarkably is that
Almost every woman is, inside and out, a patchwork of two different cells – some using one X chromosome, and some the other. Early in an embryonic girl’s existence, each of her cells commits to using just one X and then sticks to that decision, so that each one of the family of cells to which it gives rise uses precisely that X….An XX woman is a mixture of two different sets of cells using different X chromosomes, as though she were two genetically different animals stirred together. (p. 134-135)
One consequence of this is that identical twin girls are less identical than boys, who have only one X, which both of them use in the same way.
Despite its title, this book does not attempt to titillate the reader. There are a few moments, that usually begin with something like, “that reminds me of something interesting,” but there is nothing here that would make anyone roll their eyes or shake their head. It is written for a general audience and requires no special knowledge of science or biology. This is a good introduction to the science of sex genetics, and has plenty of moments where I found myself saying, “Hmm, that’s interesting….”
March 6, 2011
First off, The X in Sex is a very accessible non-fiction book about the genetics that make us who we are sexually. It was interesting to the non-scientist and a very quick read. But I do have to say that I didn't learn nearly enough new material to make me feel like it had been absolutely worth my time. David Bainbridge acts like he's bestowing never-before-mentioned news when he talks about X and Y chromosomes and sex-linked diseases. I'm 41 years old...back in the dark ages when I was in 9th grade I took a science class called "The Study of Life." And, oooh, we talked about chromosomes. Even got our own little set (all mixed up) for us to sort and arrange in pairs and find out if we had a boy or a girl and if they had any odd things going on (like and extra X or whatever). Maybe I just had one of the most progressive science teachers ever...but he also taught us about hemophilia and color-blindness and other sex-linked diseases.
Oddly enough, given the title of this book, the most informative bits that Bainbridge relates have to do with the Y chromosome. It's always been thought that just having the Y was enough to make you a boy...in theory, this is true. But it is absolutely essential that you have a Y and a working Sry gene. Because the Sry gene is the switch that starts the chain of events that insures that the baby will be a boy. No Sry, no chain of other genes, no testicles...no boy. Overall, I did not find the amount of information given about the X chromosome compelling enough to convince me that "she" is the controlling influence in our lives. When I picked up this book, I imagined finding evidence that sweet little X is sitting there inside our cells holding the remote control and sending out instructions hither and yon throughout our bodies to tell us what to do and how to behave. Not quite.
As I mentioned, this is a very accessible book for the non-scientist. I think it would be an excellent book for someone who has very little or no knowledge whatsoever of chromosomes, genes, DNA, etc, and how they work. Bainbridge manages to talk about fairly complex topics in language the layman can understand and infuses his writing with humor. His humor is much better when it is unconscious (or at least gives a better impression of being so). The more blatant, "wink-wink, nudge-nudge" sexual references and the anecdotes which are prefaced with "Let me tell you this funny little anecdote" aren't nearly as funny as he would seem to think. The one exception is his anecdote about (quite literally) the Duke of Kent's testicles. I'm giving this one three stars--good solid read, some humorous bits, but nothing to knock my socks off.
Oddly enough, given the title of this book, the most informative bits that Bainbridge relates have to do with the Y chromosome. It's always been thought that just having the Y was enough to make you a boy...in theory, this is true. But it is absolutely essential that you have a Y and a working Sry gene. Because the Sry gene is the switch that starts the chain of events that insures that the baby will be a boy. No Sry, no chain of other genes, no testicles...no boy. Overall, I did not find the amount of information given about the X chromosome compelling enough to convince me that "she" is the controlling influence in our lives. When I picked up this book, I imagined finding evidence that sweet little X is sitting there inside our cells holding the remote control and sending out instructions hither and yon throughout our bodies to tell us what to do and how to behave. Not quite.
As I mentioned, this is a very accessible book for the non-scientist. I think it would be an excellent book for someone who has very little or no knowledge whatsoever of chromosomes, genes, DNA, etc, and how they work. Bainbridge manages to talk about fairly complex topics in language the layman can understand and infuses his writing with humor. His humor is much better when it is unconscious (or at least gives a better impression of being so). The more blatant, "wink-wink, nudge-nudge" sexual references and the anecdotes which are prefaced with "Let me tell you this funny little anecdote" aren't nearly as funny as he would seem to think. The one exception is his anecdote about (quite literally) the Duke of Kent's testicles. I'm giving this one three stars--good solid read, some humorous bits, but nothing to knock my socks off.
August 4, 2023
Interesting and very well written. The author uses lots of cool examples from nature. Idk how quickly this area of science is progressing, but I suspect this book might be outdated in some areas.
June 10, 2019
Bainbridge delves into the latest research on the X chromosome and the role it plays in human development from sperm/ova to adult. I think I'm pretty up on biology, but there were some fascinating findings here that I didn't know. For example, in most women, there is a "calico" effect whereby one of the X chromosomes in the XX pair is deactivated in every cell, but not all of one kind. In other words, the average woman has some cells that are maternal X and some that are paternal X. This can lead to some interesting problems.
And the reasons Mother Nature does that is fascinating, but I'll let you read the book to find it out. You'll also learn about how X is an agent in hemophilia and autoimmune diseases.
He also bravely puts his toe into more philosophical waters from time to time, musing on whether the XX is a passive or assertive process against the Y which, on it's own, determines if a baby will be male-like, at least in humans.
There are also some interesting variations in species in terms of how sex is determined, that show there's more than one way to determine sex.
On top of all that, I was finishing the book while watching the season premiere of Handmaid's Tale, so this whole discussion of the fact of sex took on much deeper implications for me.
And the reasons Mother Nature does that is fascinating, but I'll let you read the book to find it out. You'll also learn about how X is an agent in hemophilia and autoimmune diseases.
He also bravely puts his toe into more philosophical waters from time to time, musing on whether the XX is a passive or assertive process against the Y which, on it's own, determines if a baby will be male-like, at least in humans.
There are also some interesting variations in species in terms of how sex is determined, that show there's more than one way to determine sex.
On top of all that, I was finishing the book while watching the season premiere of Handmaid's Tale, so this whole discussion of the fact of sex took on much deeper implications for me.
December 31, 2023
Such an interestingly crafted book with amazing analogies and explanations on processes evolution, sex determination, and much more. See a small list of things I learned ⬇️
Also a product of its era with lots of swapping of words like sexuality in place of sex determination and describing genes as feminine or macho. But still a fun read!
- Testicle formation
- X-chromosomal defects (hemophilia, red or green color-blindness,muscular Dystrophy)
- XX Female Mosaicism, that doesn’t occur in XO females
- XX Female and XXY Male susceptibility to autoimmune disease possibly linked to Xist RNA that turns off the additional X chromosomes
- In 2003, 1% of the population was projected to be intersex in some way based on test results and technology of the time.
- Girls’ behavior is genetically imprinted from their father’s X chromosome—something learned from studying XO girls and their behavior. One of the only cases of genetic imprinting in humans.
- Ethics of sex selection technology & procedures
Also a product of its era with lots of swapping of words like sexuality in place of sex determination and describing genes as feminine or macho. But still a fun read!
- Testicle formation
- X-chromosomal defects (hemophilia, red or green color-blindness,muscular Dystrophy)
- XX Female Mosaicism, that doesn’t occur in XO females
- XX Female and XXY Male susceptibility to autoimmune disease possibly linked to Xist RNA that turns off the additional X chromosomes
- In 2003, 1% of the population was projected to be intersex in some way based on test results and technology of the time.
- Girls’ behavior is genetically imprinted from their father’s X chromosome—something learned from studying XO girls and their behavior. One of the only cases of genetic imprinting in humans.
- Ethics of sex selection technology & procedures
March 6, 2017
Well written even amusing popularization of information consisting of two main explanations: How sex-based inheritance works, and how the deactivation of X chromosomes affects the female of the species. Definitely too elementary for anyone having any kind of training about genetics; but a good introduction to the genetic effects of our species' sexual reproductive strategy. A short easy read.
December 28, 2011
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Once again, it was chosen merely because it's title began (excluding the word "The") with a letter I needed for my alphabet reading challenge. X is a tough one. But this was actually pretty good!
The first chapter is awful, though. If you get this book, just skip right ahead to the second chapter. The first chapter is mainly the author trying to explain why he chose to study the X chromosome rather than the Y, and why the Y is just a shriveled withered thing (or something close to that) while the X is superior. And why even though it seems like the Y gives us "maleness", it's pretty useless after that.
Not only that but in the first chapter he says things like ... "Here is how something works, blah blah blah. Except it doesn't work like that at all, it's more like this, blah blah blah. Except it doesn't work like that either, but more like this, blah blah blah" and that just pissed me off and made me want to punch him and tell him to get to the point.
But the second and third chapters are really awesome! I learned a lot from reading this book, and found it really fascinating. It goes into much more detail than I got from my high school biology class and I now have a far better understanding of why there are sex-linked diseases for both men and women, and how recessive traits work and how women can have two X chromosomes and men only Y but we do not die of overdose or them of under-dosing and about spotted cats (woooo!). It was all rather excited.
I highly recommend this book if you want a good, easy-to-understand explanation of how it all works.
The first chapter is awful, though. If you get this book, just skip right ahead to the second chapter. The first chapter is mainly the author trying to explain why he chose to study the X chromosome rather than the Y, and why the Y is just a shriveled withered thing (or something close to that) while the X is superior. And why even though it seems like the Y gives us "maleness", it's pretty useless after that.
Not only that but in the first chapter he says things like ... "Here is how something works, blah blah blah. Except it doesn't work like that at all, it's more like this, blah blah blah. Except it doesn't work like that either, but more like this, blah blah blah" and that just pissed me off and made me want to punch him and tell him to get to the point.
But the second and third chapters are really awesome! I learned a lot from reading this book, and found it really fascinating. It goes into much more detail than I got from my high school biology class and I now have a far better understanding of why there are sex-linked diseases for both men and women, and how recessive traits work and how women can have two X chromosomes and men only Y but we do not die of overdose or them of under-dosing and about spotted cats (woooo!). It was all rather excited.
I highly recommend this book if you want a good, easy-to-understand explanation of how it all works.
April 12, 2010
The X in Sex: How the X Chromosome Controls Our Lives by David Bainbridge begins with the discovery of the X chromosome (by a man) and the Y chromosome (by a woman). From there it moves onto a variety of topics: the genes that control gonad growth, sex linked diseases and how human women are like calico cats.
David Bainbridge spends about a third of the book outlining many of the different ways that animals reproduce and how gender is selected. Although the XY (male) and XX (female) is the standard approach in mammals, there is even an exception among mammals. Of course birds, reptiles and all sorts of other non-mammalian animals have evolved different ways of reproducing. Despite all these different approaches, they all share similar genes to control the process.
Reproduction doesn't always work normally. Bainbridge discusses the ways in which things can go differently and what the outcome means for the offspring. My favorite part though comes near the end where Bainbridge compares the calico cat coloration to the genetic tug of war going on inside every woman's body.
The book is a fairly easy read for all the science that's included. It's written with clear and concise language. Sometimes I think Bainbridge lets too much of his own prejudices into the book, filtering all the information through the perspective based on his own upbringing. At least he's willing to admit this short coming in the book.
David Bainbridge spends about a third of the book outlining many of the different ways that animals reproduce and how gender is selected. Although the XY (male) and XX (female) is the standard approach in mammals, there is even an exception among mammals. Of course birds, reptiles and all sorts of other non-mammalian animals have evolved different ways of reproducing. Despite all these different approaches, they all share similar genes to control the process.
Reproduction doesn't always work normally. Bainbridge discusses the ways in which things can go differently and what the outcome means for the offspring. My favorite part though comes near the end where Bainbridge compares the calico cat coloration to the genetic tug of war going on inside every woman's body.
The book is a fairly easy read for all the science that's included. It's written with clear and concise language. Sometimes I think Bainbridge lets too much of his own prejudices into the book, filtering all the information through the perspective based on his own upbringing. At least he's willing to admit this short coming in the book.
September 9, 2015
This is a very accessible book about the science of genetic inheritance at least as far as it extends to the X & Y chromosomes. The first chapter is a heavy duty look into the molecular aspects of genetics and protein signaling which might be the hardest part for a non-scientist (I am a scientist so I'm guessing here on how easy a non-scientist might find it). The Duke of Kent's Testicles is a quick history lesson and a look at hemophilia and other life-sustaining genes contained on the X that are not sex-related.
I think it would be a good book for the curious and beginning genetics students to read over because it's done at an easy level and with a fair dose of humor. The one drawback isn't so much the writing but the age of it. This was printed over ten years ago and in science that might as well be a lifetime especially for that opening chapter on understanding which genes are doing what.
I think it would be a good book for the curious and beginning genetics students to read over because it's done at an easy level and with a fair dose of humor. The one drawback isn't so much the writing but the age of it. This was printed over ten years ago and in science that might as well be a lifetime especially for that opening chapter on understanding which genes are doing what.
February 25, 2013
Interesting enough. Reading this put me back in the genetics class I took in college, where I swore before I had children I'd do a complete genetic evaluation with my future spouse. Fast-forward a bazillion years, and while reading excerpts of this to my high-school aged son, he says: "I'm going to do that test before I have kids." I guess that gene didn't skip a generation.
If genetics interests you, this book will, too.
If genetics interests you, this book will, too.
November 14, 2016
Fantastic, succinct book on why the X chromosome is so special and how it functions. I loved that this was written by a veterinarian (yay!) so it was also a look into comparative biology and how other species view their X chromosome differently. The whole idea of human female mosaics and autoimmune disease predilection was fascinating. Highly recommend for anyone with any interest in biology or genetics.
July 17, 2008
Despite the racy title and cover, this book really is a history of the X Chromosome. It mostly covers the X Chromosome in humans, but contrasts it with a lot of other species. The book also gives cogent descriptions of several chromosome abnormalities. It's also a short and easy read -- always a plus!
August 21, 2009
This book is very interesting if you are in to science. It provides a story about the history of the X chromosome and how we discovered what it does. The analogies used make it easy to understand and delightful to read. I gave it three stars because it is not for everyone.
January 10, 2012
So many interesting ideas -- i just wish it had been longer. Definitely will be doing further reading on this subject, especially as identical twin girls (which I have) are differently affected by x-inactivation.
June 26, 2013
It is not what I thought it would be. Too technical, I found myself feeling like a Peanuts character listen to an adult.
Great book for those who like scientific terms, and some medical jargon.
Great book for those who like scientific terms, and some medical jargon.
September 9, 2015
As far as science non-fiction goes, this is very readable and interesting. It is however a bit dated being over a decade old. Still, found stuff my students could use in it so that's good.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews