I've decided to inject some popular science into the blog mix. I'll try to choose subjects that are of general interest and not too specialised. Feedback will help me to get the balance right.
What's up with Males?
There is something of a spate of learned and media articles both sides of the Atlantic on the suggested relationship between violent crime, mainly committed by young males, and levels of lead in petrol. More particularly have crime levels fallen because tetraethyl lead has been removed from petrol and hence the environment or is this merely an incidental association?
The arguments for a positive correlation
are persuasive and published in peer reviewed journals. These correlate levels
of lead in petrol (or air) with a reduction in violent crime (murder,
manslaughter and burglary), allowing for a time lag of between 18 and 24 years
between exposure and effect. The work has been extended internationally and
holds true for most so called advanced nations. Previous work had already shown
a correlation between lead exposure and lower IQ in children and it is well
understood that lead can affect the nervous system as a neurotoxin.
This environmental explanation for the
reduction in crime rates casts doubt on the claims of politicians (notably New
York Mayor, Rudi Giuliani) that crime reduction is a direct result of their
policies. In the same way we need to take with a pinch of salt, police claims
that reducing their budgets will lead to more crime. So be sceptical of vested
interests in the crime debate.
What other explanations are possible for
an apparent decline in male aggression? Many other studies point to an attack
on the essential features of maleness. In a major study, sperm count, a key indicator
of male fertility, has been shown to have fallen by one third between 1989 and
2005, a very dramatic decline. In the same period testosterone levels have also
fallen. Testosterone is the most important male hormone, high levels of which define
the aggressive so called alpha-male, a frequent inhabitant of romantic novels but possibly an endangered species. Many different explanations are cited,
both lifestyle degradation leading to obesity, diabetes etc and more insidious
effects from chemicals called endocrine disrupters which have the potential to
feminise males.
The most apocalyptic prediction comes from
bio geneticist Professor Bryan Sykes, who predicts in his book, Adam's Curse, that human males will
disappear completely in the next 200,000 years, a mere evolutionary blink. This
results from the deterioration in the male sex defining Y-Chromosome, which
is passed on theoretically unchanged from father to son. However minor errors
of transcription are accumulating at such a rate as to make the chromosome
non-functional at some point in the future. No doubt science will find a way of
keeping the species going, but at that point all romantic novelists will be
writing historical romances!
Alan Calder is the author of two novels.
The Glorious Twelfth published by Museitup
The Stuart Agenda published by
Willowmoon
Goodness, Alan. How very interesting. Presumably, if the male of the species dies out, so will the female unless another way of replicating ourselves is devised. If future science is clever enough to do that, then surely it will be clever enough to keep the male going? In fact, I'm not that keen on the alpha (agressive/arrogant/super-successful) male. They don't appear in my books. My heros are usually a bit more beta!
ReplyDeleteThanks Gilli
DeleteI would imagine that in time scientists will be able to synthesise chromosomes. Otherwise it might be easier to replicate females alone but it's a long way in the future.
Good Lord, Alan, I didn't know the future of the race was in such jeopardy! Here we've been thinking the choice might be between fire and ice, but really we're going out with a whimper, huh? I'd better get busy writing some good heroes before they're just a memory.
ReplyDeleteThanks Miriam get some heros down on paper while they still exist. Alan
DeleteInteresting post, Alan. I had not heard about the lead link, but it makes sense. Y-chromosome degradation I have read about for some years. I doubt anything positive for the male has been done.
ReplyDeleteThanks Gerri, it's as low slide to ignominy. I don't know what anyone can do. t written in the stones. Alan
ReplyDelete