Men really ARE the weaker sex

 They are known as the weaker sex, yet they regularly outlive the men in their lives.

Now, scientists think they know why. They say that an accident to inheritance means that it is men, not women, who are the weaklings. Geneticist Neil Gemmell says that mothers are cursing their sons by giving them defective DNA.

This DNA has subtle effects on everything from brain and heart health and muscle strength to fertility and so helps send men to an early grave.

The same DNA isn’t harmful to women, in fact it is ‘exquisitely adapted’ to their needs.

Defective DNA passed to men by their mothers has negative health effects

Bad for their heart and brain, muscle health, energy levels and fertility

Same DNA isn't harmful to women, it's 'exquisitely adapted' to their needs

Scientist said: 'I call it a mother's curse. Men definitely are the weaker sex'

    

University of Otago researcher Neil Gemmell said: ‘I call it “mother’s curse”.

‘Men definitely are the weaker sex.’ Professor Gemmell’s theory, which will be more popular with one sex than the other, hinges around the DNA in mitochondria.

These are the the tiny ‘batteries’ that power our body’s cells and are especially bountiful in the heart, muscle, brain and other parts the body that use up a lot of energy.Normally, both parents pass their genes to the next generation and any harmful mutations are eliminated over the generations because those who are carrying them have fewer children or die younger.However, mitochondrial DNA is only passed on by daughters.

A woman passes it to her sons and her daughters – but only her daughters pass it on to the next generation.

As the DNA passes down the female line, any DNA that is harmful women is eliminated.

But DNA that is damaging to men remains – leaving men at a disadvantage, said the professor.

This means they may be inheriting DNA that is bad for their heart, brain, muscle health and energy levels – helping explaining why men, on average, live three or four years less than women.

I call it “mother’s curse”. Men definitely are the weaker sex

Geneticist, professor Neil Gemmell 

Professor Gemmell said: ‘It is an unfortunate aspect of maternal inheritance that male offspring are effectively cursed or bestowed with sub-optimal mitochondria.

‘I think of males as being an evolutionary cul-de-sac with respect to mitochondrial DNA. So we get it, we don’t pass it on to our offspring and we just have to make the most of it.’

His theory, presented at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology’s annual conference in Lisbon, draws on a decade of research from around the world on flies, fish and numerous other animals.

This includes ‘striking’ studies which showed that certain types of mitochondrial DNA caused infertility and truncated lifespans in males but had ‘utterly no effect’ on females.

And studies on men have shown that those with a particular type of mitochondrial DNA have slower-swimming sperm.

The harmful mitochondrial DNA affects the brain, heart and muscle strength as well as fertility, Professor Gemmell said. He explained the DNA is not harmful to women, rather it's 'exquisitely adapted’ to their needs