A recent experiment with mice revealed that extremely low maternal iron levels can lead to males developing female characteristics, suggesting that environmental factors can affect sex determination. Traditionally believed to be exclusively determined by genetics, this finding by biologist Makoto Tachibana highlights the role of metabolic conditions in developmental biology. Until now, the SRY gene within the Y chromosome was considered the key regulator of sexual differentiation in mammals, but the new evidence indicates that external conditions may also be influential, especially in contrast to other animal species where sex is determined by various environmental factors.
We provide the first evidence that an environmental factor can significantly influence sex determination in mammals, a process previously thought to be strictly genetic.
The implications of our findings suggest that environmental and metabolic conditions play crucial roles in sexual differentiation, challenging long-held genetic-only perspectives.
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