Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila
Published on: August 22, 2013
Non-disjunction in human sperm: evidence for an effect of increasing paternal age
D K Griffin1, M A Abruzzo, E A Millie
1Department of Genetics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA.
Abstract:
In humans, the relationship between advancing maternal age and the incidence of trisomy has been long established, but the possible effect of increasing age of the father remains controversial. Using a fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) approach to directly examine individual sperm for aneuploidy of the sex chromosomes and chromosome 18, we have analyzed approximately 400,000 sperm from 24 men aged 18-60 years. There was no obvious relationship between increasing age and disomy 18, but the incidence of XY,YY and XX disomy all were significantly elevated among older men. This suggests that older men, like older women, have an increased likelihood of producing aneuploid offspring by comparison with their younger counterparts.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Spermatogenesis
Nondisjunction
The Y Chromosome Determines Maleness
Evolution
Around 300 million years ago, the two sex chromosomes diverged from two identical autosomal chromosomes. Over time, the Y chromosome has lost most of its genes, shrinking in size. Today,...
Meiosis I
Prophase I is the most extended and complex step of meiosis I characterized by synapsis, chromosome pairing, and recombination of the homologous chromosomes. This process is facilitated by a proteinaceous structure called the...
Nondisjunction
Nondisjunction

