Is Humanity Doomed Unless We “Change Sex as We Know It”?

Well, it’s referring to the Y chromosome, one of the two sex chromosomes in humans. It’s this chromosome (and the genes on it) that makes a male a male (males have an XY pair of sex chromosomes, females have XX), and apparently, “it’s degenerating in humans and may disappear in a few million years, which could lead to our extinction.” What’s the solution? “We [need to] evolve a new sex gene. Fast.”

Of course, this is entirely based on false evolutionary assumptions regarding shared ancestry and millions of years. When the evolutionary model is applied to the Y chromosome, it’s estimated that it has lost 10 genes every 1 million years. If that rate continues, in 4.5 million years, the Y chromosome will have completely degenerated.

But, as is often the case, the evolutionary story is not consistent. While claiming that 10 genes are lost every 1 million years, the article points out that:

Our Y chromosome has lost only one gene since humans and rhesus monkeys diverged evolutionarily 25 million years ago.

Furthermore, it hasn’t lost any genes since the divergence of chimpanzees 6 million years ago.

In a biblical worldview, we understand that our genome (including the Y chromosome) was created perfect but has degenerated because of mutations over the past 6,000 years due to living in a cursed and fallen creation because of sin.

But this is just evolutionary storytelling! If we don’t really share a lineage (which we don’t) with all other life on earth and our Y chromosome didn’t evolve from a different chromosome, then data regarding Y chromosome mutations and mutation rates needs to be interpreted through a different lens. And, of course, that lens is the perfect history God has given us in his Word. In a biblical worldview, we understand that our genome (including the Y chromosome) was created perfect but has degenerated because of mutations over the past 6,000 years due to living in a cursed and fallen creation because of sin.

And actually, it’s this framework that makes sense of the evidence! Geneticist Dr. Nathaniel Jeanson has actually looked at mutation rates in the Y chromosome and, using the biblical timescale, has been able to find genetic time stamps of known historical events on the Y chromosome. It’s phenomenal, groundbreaking research that’s only possible if you start with a young earth and a biblical timescale of just thousands of years. If you start with the idea that we diverged from rhesus monkeys 25 million years ago and chimps 6 million years ago, you can never do the research Dr. Jeanson is doing! I encourage you to read all about it in his book Traced or by watching his fascinating YouTube series.

A shrinking, mutated Y chromosome is not humanity’s biggest threat. But those mutations are a reminder that we no longer live in a perfect world. Everything, even our genetics, is affected by sin in creation. But, praise God, he provided a Savior in his Son, Jesus Christ. His Son took the ultimate penalty for our sin—death—for us when he died on the cross. His death perfectly satisfied God’s just wrath against sin, then he rose again and now offers the free gift of eternal life to everyone who puts their faith and trust in him.

And remember, God is in control of history. God determines what will happen on this planet. And one day, life on this sin-cursed earth will end when Jesus returns and makes a new heavens and earth.

If you’ve never come to Christ for salvation, recognize your biggest threat is the sin that separates you from a holy God and come to Christ today!

Get More Answers on Answers News

This item was discussed today on Answers News with cohosts Bryan Osborne, Jessica DeFord, and Roger Patterson. Answers News is our weekly news program filmed live before a studio audience here at the Creation Museum and broadcast on our Answers in Genesis YouTube channel and posted to Answers TV. We also covered the following topics:

• Do we need to soften the taboo on cannibalism?
• Good news from the state of Tennessee.
• Another startling find from the James Webb Telescope.
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Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken

This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.