sexual dimorphism

There are believed to be two ways in which sex chromosomes can cause sex-specific differences, also called sexual dimorphism, in cells.

Brain cells and heart tissue cells likewise offer good examples of cell-level differences in addition to other levels at which sexual dimorphism makes male and female brains and hearts different, Ahmed noted.

Differences in cancer incidence and progression between men and women have been known for decades, but a detailed understanding of sexual dimorphism in relation to cancer biology is still limited.

The main groups in which the phenomenon has been recorded include animal species which feature strong sexual dimorphism; most often insects, especially butterflies, crustaceans, spiders, even lizards and rodents.

“They have found that Rosetta stone fossil that allows us to really confirm these theories about sexual dimorphism,” Bicknell says.