Bay Area Skeptics SkepTalk: Sex, Male Bias, & Degeneration

Sex, Male Bias, & Degeneration by Dr. Melissa A. Wilson Sayres

http://photos3.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/1/1/0/a/600_270004362.jpeg The human X and Y chromosomes evolved from a non-sex ancestor. The X is still regular-sized, but the Y is degraded and puny. Dr. Wilson Sayres will talk about how this process occurs, and how we can use the sex chromosomes to understand why more nucleotide mutations originate from the sperm than from eggs.

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WHO: Dr. Melissa A. Wilson Sayres researches human population genetics at UC Berkeley's Miller Institute. She started out as a mathematician in Nebraska, learned to program, and studied sex chromosome evolution at Penn State. Dr. Wilson Sayers is passionate about studying and communicating evolution research at all levels. Visit her blog (http://mathbionerd.blogspot.com/).

WHERE: La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley. A 6 minute stroll from the Ashby BART station.