A faster, less expensive method has been developed and used to learn the DNA sequence of the male-specific Y chromosome in the gorilla. The research reveals that a male gorilla’s Y chromosome is more similar to a male human’s Y chromosome than to a chimpanzee’s. The technique works for any species, so it can be used to study male infertility disorders and male-specific mutations. It also can aid in conservation efforts. "Surprisingly, we found that in many ways the gorilla Y chromosome is more similar to the human Y chromosome than either is to the chimpanzee Y chromosome," said Kateryna Makova, the Francis R. and Helen M. Pentz Professor of Science at Penn State and one of two corresponding authors of the paper.