Human genomes are 99.9 percent identical—with one prominent exception. Instead of a matching pair of X chromosomes, men carry a single X, coupled with a tiny chromosome called the Y.
Using methods from history, philosophy, and gender studies of science, Sarah Richardson examines in her new book, Sex Itself, how gender has helped to shape the research practices, questions asked, theories and models, and descriptive language used in sex chromosome research.
Sarah Richardson is assistant professor of the history of science and of studies of women, gender, and sexuality at Harvard University.
