Uploaded August 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
The Y chromosome is one of two human sex chromosomes, the other being the X chromosome. When researchers completed the first human genome sequence 20 years ago, gaps were left in the sequences of every chromosome, and in the race to sequence the human genome, the Y chromosome got left in the dust.
Researchers have generated the first truly complete sequence of a human Y chromosome, the final human chromosome to be fully sequenced. The new sequence, which fills in gaps across more than 50% of the Y chromosome’s length, uncovers important genetic features with implications for fertility, such as factors in sperm production.
Learn more about this extraordinary achievement: genome.gov/Y-chromosome
Science Writer: Anna Rogers, NHGRI
Producer: Ernesto del Aguila III, NHGRI
The Y chromosome is one of two human sex chromosomes, the other being the X chromosome. When researchers completed the first human genome sequence 20 years ago, gaps were left in the sequences of every chromosome, and in the race to sequence the human genome, the Y chromosome got left in the dust.
Researchers have generated the first truly complete sequence of a human Y chromosome, the final human chromosome to be fully sequenced. The new sequence, which fills in gaps across more than 50% of the Y chromosome’s length, uncovers important genetic features with implications for fertility, such as factors in sperm production.
Learn more about this extraordinary achievement: genome.gov/Y-chromosome
Science Writer: Anna Rogers, NHGRI
Producer: Ernesto del Aguila III, NHGRI
