Men Will Be Extinct: Appreciate Them Now

Men face mass extinction because male genes are dying out, according to researchers. What would the world be without men? Some women might think it's a good idea.

But my advice is to love and cherish the men in your life right now because it's probably that the male gender won't be around in generations to come.

"Men are on the road to extinction as their genes shrink and slowly fade away," Professor Jennifer Graves, a genetic expert warned. She is a researcher in human sex chromosomes who says that the male Y chromosome is dying and could one day run out. But don't worry just yet - the change is not due to take place for another five million years.

But all is not lost. She said men may follow the path of the vole (a type of rodent) which still manages to reproduce despite not having the vital genes that make up the Y chromosome.
"You need a Y chromosome to be male," said Prof Jennifer Graves. "Three hundred million years ago the Y chromosome had about 1,400 genes on it, and now it's only got 45 left, so at this rate we're going to run out of genes on the Y chromosome in about five million years.

"The Y chromosome is dying and the big question is what happens then."

The male Y chromosome has a gene (SRY) which switches on the development of testis and pumps out male hormones that determine maleness. In her lecture, entitled "The Decline and Fall of the Y Chromosome and the Future of Men," Prof Graves discussed the disappearance of the Y chromosome and the implications for humans.

She said it was not known what would happen once the Y chromosome disappeared. "Humans can't become asexual like some lizards, because several vital genes must come from the male," she continued. "But the good news is that certain rodent species - the mole voles of Eastern Europe and the country rats of Japan - have no Y chromosome and no SRY gene.

"Yet there are still plenty of healthy male mole voles and country rats running around. Some other gene must have taken over the job and we'd like to know what that gene is."

The scientist said there were several genes which could take over from SRY, adding whichever one did take over is based purely on chance.

"It is even possible that two or more different sex-determination systems based on different genes could arise in different populations," she added. "These could no longer reproduce with each other, leading to two different species of humans."

It's true, we won't be around in 5 million years to see the results of the disappearance of the Y chromosome. But it still gives us pause to stop and appreciate males as they exist today. It is difficult to imagine a world without men. A world of only women seems impossible. Let's hope that, another chromosome will take over. That gene hasn't been determined yet.

It's too hard to imagine a world without male genes. One day women may go to museums just to see examples of the extinct male, the way we view dinosaurs today.

Secrets of the penis: Shape and size

In ”Secrets of the Phallus: Why Is the Penis Shaped Like That?” Jesse Bering at Scientific American, confesses that he has spent his life wondering why the human penis is "such a peculiarly shaped device." Here are his observations:

1. “The erect human penis is especially large compared to that of other primates, measuring on average between five and six inches in length and averaging about five inches in circumference.” Our closest living relative, the chimp, is nowhere near as large, even at its most excited phase.

2. Only the human phallus has such a distinctive mushroom cap-type head/glans. “Chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans have a much less extravagant phallic design, more or less all shaft.” Another unique attribute?

3. During sex, the penis swells inside the vagina and “occupies the vaginal tract, and with full penetration can even reach the woman’s cervix and lift her uterus.” So maybe size does matter after all.

4. Even though humans are relatively monogamous, especially when compared to other species, we weren’t always so loyal, which is why the human penis adapted to deal with competing sperm from other mates. The “semen displacement theory” suggests that the human penis is meant to deposit sperm as deep in the vagina as possible, outshooting sperm from other sexual partners, biology’s way of ensuring paternity.

5. Another way the human penis outsmarts the competition? By getting rid of the competition’s sperm. Human male “penises were sculpted in such a way that the organ would effectively displace the semen of competitors from their partner’s vagina, a well-synchronized effect facilitated by the ‘upsuck’ of thrusting during intercourse.” Basically, the frenetic thrusting not only encourages the penis to ejaculate, but it also flushes out the sperm left behind by prior partners.

6.Men also thrust deeper and faster after being reunited with partners they haven’t seen in awhile, which leads scientists to conclude that men want to make sure their partners aren’t impregnated by the competition while they’re away.

14 Sure-fire ways to tell he's interested

Body language cannot be denied. It can be a better way of communicating than through words. I extracted these 14 foolproof signs that a man wants to be (much) more than friends, from a book called Superflirt, by relationship expert Tracey Cox.

1. He'll give you an eyebrow flash: When we first see someone we're attracted to, our eyebrows rise and fall. If they like us back they raise their eyebrows too.

2. His lips part:If he likes what he sees, his lips will automatically part for a moment when your eyes first lock.

3. His nostrils flare and his face generally "opens": The raised brows, parted lips, flaring nostrils and wide eyes give the whole face a friendly "open" expression.

4. He'll try to attract your attention: Any exaggerated movement or gesture usually means he's trying to stand out from the group. Another giveaway: he'll unconsciously detach from his friends by standing slightly apart, hoping to be seen as an individual.

5. He'll stroke his tie or smooth his shirt: We all know what these preening gestures mean. They're the equivalent of the female lip lick - "I want to look good for you."

6. He'll smooth or muss up his hair (the male equivalent of the female "hair touch".)

7. His eyebrows remain slightly raised while you're talking: A slightly surprised, quizzical expression means he finds you fascinating. This is preferable to a man who looks at you with a smooth, relaxed brow and eyes. That one simply finds you boring.

8. He'll fiddle with his socks and pull them up: If a guy pulls up or adjusts his socks in your presence, it's an almost 100 per cent sign he's interested and trying to look his best.

9. Everything is erect: He'll stand with all his muscles pulled tight, to show his body off to best advantage. He'll also stand directly in front of you to show full attention, and lean forward to get closer.

10. He'll let you see him checking out your body: Some experts call it 'visual voyaging' - his eyes take a little cruise around your body, stopping momentarily at the prettiest ports. Don't kid yourself: he scanned your body automatically the second he laid eyes on you. The difference here is he's letting you see him do it. The message: I'm considering you as a sexual partner.

11. He'll give you a crotch display: He'll spread his legs while sitting opposite, to give you a crotch display. He's letting you have a good look at what's on offer.

12. He'll move into the "cowpoke stance:" The cowpoke is a primary male courtship gesture of the Western world. He locks his thumbs in his belt or belt loops, points his finger down towards his genitals, spread his legs about shoulder distance apart, and tilts his head to one side.

13. He'll touch his face a lot, while looking at you: If likes you, he'll stroke his cheek up and down with the back of his fingers, touch his ears, or rub his chin. It's a combination of nervous excitement, preening, and autoerotic touching.

14. He'll start squeezing his glass: When men are sexually interested, they start playing with circular objects. Why? They remind him of your breasts: his body is 'leaking' what's happening in his subconscious mind.