BOW Genome: Conflict

The body is viewed as a servant to genes acting as a victim, plaything, battleground and vehicle. If an X chromosome is inherited from the father, the child would be a girl and if a Y chromosome is inherited from the father, the child would be a boy. A gene called DAX is on the X chormosome and the gene SRY is found on the Y chormosome which is responsible for masculine traits. One SRY defeats one DAX, but two DAXes defeat one SRY. Since females are XX and males are XY, three-quarters of all sex chromosomes are X's and one quarter Y's. Therefore, Y is vulnerable to attack by a newly evolved X gene. SRY is one of the fastest evolving genes which restores balance  to the X chromosome.   A test was done on fruit flies to increase the strength of male semen. It became so strong that the female fly died because the semen became too toxic. The placenta is seen as a parasitic takeover of the mother's body by paternal genes in the fetus. Holland beleieved that peacocks eveolved long tials to seduce females since females became more resistant to being seduced. Sexual selection is due to resistance to genes.