The X in Sex: How the X Chromosome Controls Our Lives [Hardcover]

It is the male Y chromosome, and specifically the "Sry" gene on that chromosome, that actively sets out to make any cell blob containing it to turn into a male. But the Y chromosome is really just a dried up fossil of a gene that serves no other purpose than determining sex. It is the X that has many functions.

The book answers many questions. Why are diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy and hemophilia mostly limited to males? Why are male identical twins really identical, while female identical twins are not totally identical? Why are approximately 50% of female body cell X chromosomes different from the other 50% while in a male the cells are all alike? Why are women the main sufferers from autoimmune diseases? What happens when a woman is born with only one sex chromosome, a single X? Why is it that color blindness affects mostly men, and why is color blindness almost inevitably red-green, and almost never blue-yellow?

We also learn that many other mammals live and reproduce perfectly well with no Y chromosomes. Armadillos generally give birth to identical quadruplets. And on and on goes Mr. Bainbridge with the facts about the unusual X chromosome that is an astounding two inches long yet is able to intricately fold itself to fit into every tiny body cell.

This is a very accessible book that should educate and, indeed, entertain anyone who picks it up.

This book is extremely interesting, even exciting, and I read it in two sittings. It's peppered throughout with dry British humor (you have to be a fan of British humorists to notice it most of the time, I think), and very entertaining as well as edifying. This book is a joy to read because it is well-written 97% of the time. For the other 3%, the author lost me by referring to something that was (probably) in the book prior to that point, but I didn't recall it and he neglected to put a little parenthetical reminder as to what it was exactly. And sometimes the flow seems a tiny bit scattered. This is why it would be a 4.5 star book, and not a flat-out 5, if I had that choice. However, they are extremely minor quibbles, and I only mention them at all because otherwise the book is so wonderful. (I would also LOVE more information, but I can't fault the author for not including more -- the length is just right for a trade science book.)

David Bainbridge's premise is that the X chromosome is wildly underestimated, or perhaps underrated, and that some people may even go so far as to use the fact that the (stunted) Y chromosome is more 'powerful' -- presumably because its mere presence creates a boy fetus instead of a female (most of the time), even when multiple Xes "gang up" on it -- to further a sexist agenda. Mr. Bainbridge went so far as to argue that the X is a much more powerful chromosome, and that people should wonder how women cope with two of them instead of assuming that they are so weak that women feel no ill effects. (In fact, there are mechanisms in the human body to protect a woman from "an overdose of X".) While I was skeptical of this premise, Mr. Bainbridge certainly argued a good case, and I learned all sorts of fascinating things that they don't teach in high school biology.

All in all? Fascinating. Even if you didn't like biology in school (or maybe especially if that's the case), check out this book. It's the kind of science book you'll take with you for a long soak in a hot tub.

It is the male Y chromosome, and specifically the "Sry" gene on that chromosome, that actively sets out to make any cell blob containing it to turn into a male. But the Y chromosome is really just a dried up fossil of a gene that serves no other purpose than determining sex. It is the X that has many functions.

The book answers many questions. Why are diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy and hemophilia mostly limited to males? Why are male identical twins really identical, while female identical twins are not totally identical? Why are approximately 50% of female body cell X chromosomes different from the other 50% while in a male the cells are all alike? Why are women the main sufferers from autoimmune diseases? What happens when a woman is born with only one sex chromosome, a single X? Why is it that color blindness affects mostly men, and why is color blindness almost inevitably red-green, and almost never blue-yellow?

We also learn that many other mammals live and reproduce perfectly well with no Y chromosomes. Armadillos generally give birth to identical quadruplets. And on and on goes Mr. Bainbridge with the facts about the unusual X chromosome that is an astounding two inches long yet is able to intricately fold itself to fit into every tiny body cell.

This is a very accessible book that should educate and, indeed, entertain anyone who picks it up.