Hajime Watanabe [creativecommons license] via Wikimedia CommonsSex determination proceeds through various mechanisms, which can be broadly grouped into two categories. In genetic sex determination (GSD), differentiation results from intrinsic genetic differences between males and females, whereas in environmental sex determination (ESD), differentiation results from environmental signals such as temperature, light and population density. Compared with GSD, the genetics underlying ESD are poorly understood. Now, researchers from Osaka University (Japan) and the National Institute for Basic Biology (Aichi, Japan) have identified a gene involved in ESD that forms a new link between GSD and ESD.
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