Scientists first discovered chromosomes in the nineteenth century, when they were gazing at cells through light microscopes. But how did they figure out what chromosomes do? And how did they link ...

The iconic X-shaped organization of metaphase chromosomes is frequently presented in textbooks and other media. The drawings explain in captivating manner that the majority of genetic information ...

The first attempt to determine the building blocks of our genetic code took place 20 years ago, but there were still significant gaps left in the sequences of all 23 pairs of human chromosomes.

The Y chromosome in primates — including humans — is evolving much more rapidly than the X chromosome, new research on six primate species suggests. For instance, humans and chimpanzees share ...

But some plants have taken a different approach. They have evolved sex chromosomes, the bits of DNA that make individual plants either male or female. In that club are organisms like the ginkgo ...

The Y chromosome is what distinguishes biological males from females. It determines male fertility, including sperm production, and typically is used to determine paternal lineage for tracking ...