Science supports sexual differences....

What a surprise.

From today's New York Times:

Biologists have made a fundamental discovery about how the human Y chromosome, a genetic package inherited by men, protects itself against evolutionary decay.

As part of the work, the scientists have tallied the exact number of genes on the Y chromosome, finding more than they had expected. That and other research has led the researchers to assess the genetic differences between men and women as being considerably greater than thought.

The details on how the Y chromosome maintains its integrity over time are quite interesting. The conclusion of this article, however, is absurd:

...Men and women differ by 1 to 2 percent of their genomes, Dr. Page said, which is the same as the difference between a man and a male chimpanzee or between a woman and a female chimpanzee.

Almost all male-female differences, whether in cognition, behavior, anatomy or susceptibility to disease, have usually been attributed to the sex hormones. But given the genomic differences that are now apparent, that premise has to be re-examined, in Dr. Page's view.

"We all recite the mantra that we are 99 percent identical and take political comfort in it," Dr. Page said. "But the reality is that the genetic difference between males and females absolutely dwarfs all other differences in the human genome."

Talk about loaded language! In a world where, like in Iran, a woman's life is valued at half that of a man, saying men and women differ as much as humans and chimpanzee is reckless, to say the least. Is Dr. Page badly quoted, or did he neglect to emphasize that it's not simply the percentage of genes that differ, but which genes?

Having experienced life from both sides of the sexual divide, I can say that men and women are much more alike than different.

Complete story here.