The Y chromosome started life 300 million years ago with 1,438 genes, and has already lost 1,393. Losing the rest could spell the end for men, but Prof Graves believes they will not be totally wiped out.
A rudimentary grasp of the notion of species is what is at risk in Grave's academic training. Tsk, tsk...all the work for naught !
Speaking to the 15th International Chromosome Conference at Brunel University yesterday, Prof Graves said she believed other genes could take over the work of SRY.
The reason why the Y chromosomes have been losing so much of the previously meaningful GTAC sequences was that most of it was redundant in other parts; actually there is more redundancy in the whole of human DNA coding than one would imagine. Close to 90% I hear ? Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but we have a lot of repetitive dupilcates, or duplicates of duplicates all over the double helix.
She has conducted research on rodents, which have no SRY gene, and another chromosome has taken over the task of harbouring a gene that determines sex. If this happened with people, it could lead to two or more sex-determination systems, each based on a different gene. The result could be two species of humans.
Preposterous !
1) If indeed the redundant codes in the Y chromosome get down to the bare minimum needed to define a phenotypical male, any mutation that is detrimental to the development of a functional male will get stomped out because the mutation carrier will not be able to reproduce.
2) Even if (through some odd change, ie. a rearrangement of the higher order grammar of gene expression) there comes into existence an alternate blueprint for male development, the alternate males and the traditional males will compete-- to be precise the genes will compete, and out of that, a rapid replacement will occur regarding the two types of genes.
It will only take 30 generations for one successful Y chromosome carrier to have ca. 1 billion offsprings if he succeeds in leaving two successful males behind. Supposing he has two male offspring before 30 yrs of age, it only takes 30 x 30 = 900 yrs to propagate his gene to 1 billion offspring. 990 yrs would give enough time for the figure to rise to 8 billion human population. Therefore the period of coexistence of two competing definitions of male genes will be brief at best.
Never fear, all male forumers, for there is no such thing as the male species. The seemingly formidable Professor Jenny Graves may be more a politically oriented male-bashing feminist than a serious scientist. She may have succeeded in making you twitch in dread, but what she says will never happen the way she describes it.
I wouldnt worry though... i mean, common, 10 million years? we could probably realistically lengthen it by that time... could probably do it in 20 years. 
I was simply going along with Winter's post. 
