Adam's Curse - A Future Without Men

Are men an endangered species? According to Bryan Sykes, the answer is yes. A cross between scientific journal and science fiction novel, his new book, "Adam's Curse," explores the fascinating science of sex and gender, in an engaging, highly-readable format. Some of the sensitive issues and surprising theories presented in this book obviously invite controversy, but it's still a captivating read.

No more dirty bathrooms with the toilet seat up! Taking a look 125,000 years into the future, leading genetic scientist Bryan Sykes has concluded that men, slowly but surely, are headed for extinction.

Written in anecdotal style, his recent book, "Adams Curse: A Future Without Men," is inciting controversy with its startling theory that the male of the species will only last for another 5000 generations before irreparable damage done to the Y-chromosome consigns him to the history books. Sykes uses his own research to show that the all-important male Y-chromosome is degenerating as it advances through evolution, rendering men infertile with increasing frequency, and the female X-chromosome (mDNA), which has a "twin" and can repair itself to minimize bad mutations, is slowly taking over. In other words, women are winning the evolutionary battle of the sexes.

By rendering men infertile, isn't the female chromosome also architecting its own destruction? Sykes addresses this issue as well, saying that men could be rescued with "massive intervention," but it would be quite possible to survive without them.

"We could survive as a species with no men at all by arranging fertilizations not between sperm and egg, but rather between one egg and another, and the techniques for that are already here." Sykes actually goes so far as to envision a world made up entirely of women - a world where even lesbian couples could have babies with genes coming from both parents. At this point he quips, "It is almost certain to happen and, unlike human cloning, I doubt there would be serious ethical objections. Men are now on notice."

Controversially, Sykes also speculates on the answers to such questions as: Is there a genetic cause for men's greed, aggression, and promiscuity? Is there such a thing as a male homosexual gene? Some of his theories are surprising, and many are likely put forth, at least in part, to invite debate and controversy.

An entertaining and insightful read, "Adams Curse" is a book of theories, not facts, obviously written with "bestseller" in mind. Bryan Sykes, professor of genetics at Oxford University, is certainly an intelligent man, doing a remarkable job of presenting complex theories in a way that the average lay-person can grasp, but he also can't seem to resist a bit of grandstanding.

"Impressing females is a costly business, as many of you know," he says, as he describes the efforts of the male of many species to cajole or coerce females into accepting their sperm.

Unchauvinistically, Bryan Sykes even proclaims a benefit from men's extinction and the lifting of Adam's Curse. When sperm no longer fight one another for access to eggs, he says, the "destructive spiral of greed and ambition fueled by sexual selection diminishes, and the sickness of our beautiful planet eases." Sounds good, although a bit far-fetched. A lot can happen in 125,000 years.

While it could benefit from more discussion of alternative theories, "Adam's Curse" is both educational and enlightning - a book that makes you question, wonder, and want to learn more.