The ‘crazy rule-defying’ genes that determine sex
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Illustration: Claire Welsh/Nature; Adapted from Getty
Sex, Genes and Chromosomes: Their Discovery, Function and Evolution Jennifer A. Marshall Graves Cambridge Univ. Press (2026)
“Sex is the most profound normal difference between human individuals,” explains geneticist Jennifer Graves in Sex, Genes and Chromosomes. In this definitive and wide-ranging book, she outlines the discovery, molecular biology and evolution of sex chromosomes as well as the determination of sex across vertebrates — including the charged public discourse around genes, sex and gender.
Graves knows this terrain well, having contributed to many of the discoveries that she describes. She offers fresh insights for experts as well as clear explanations for lay readers. Genomics is notoriously hard to describe, however, and she apologizes for the complicated vocabulary: “Sorry, but you really can’t get sex unless you understand ploidy, meiosis, and recombination.” Students, take note.
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