"The Biological Basis Behind the Determination of Gender" is the final summer lecture series topic Thursday, Aug. 6, at the University of Wyoming-National Park Service (UW-NPS) Research Center. The center is located at the AMK Ranch in Grand Teton National Park.
Donal Skinner, University of Wyoming zoology and physiology associate professor, will speak at 6:30 p.m. at the AMK Ranch, north of Leeks Marina. A barbecue will be held at 5:30 p.m. with a $5 per person fee; reservations are not required. For more information, call the UW-NPS Center at (307) 543-2463.
As a fetus, animals start out essentially "female," but Skinner says something happens to the fetus to drive it to become "male."
"Endocrine disrupters from chemicals dumped into our environment can cause sexual abnormalities," Skinner says. "It is apparent that discrete windows of opportunity exist in which masculinization can occur and the hormone environment can cause gender change."
The UW-NPS Research Center provides a base for university faculty members and governmental scientists from throughout North America to conduct research in the diverse aquatic and terrestrial environments of Grand Teton National Park and the Greater Yellowstone Area.
Posted on Monday, August 03, 2009