Opposing View
The Y chromosome may wither to the absolute minimum needed to sustain reproduction, but no more, because a chromosome that won't breed won't be carried to its descendants - therefore, only functioning Y chromosomes will be passed on to future generations, and obviously no infertile men will transmit any Y chromosomes causers of infertility. Female infertility is also strangely forgotten in the work.
A further point of contention is that declining sperm counts have been linked to industrialisation, with environmental toxification as the presumed mechanism. If this is indeed the cause, then there is no reason to believe that a solution to the pollution problem won't also lead to a return to historical levels of male fertility.
More recent research (discussed at the end of the book) has shown that the Y-chromosome is capable of self-repair. In any case, it is impossible to assure that Y chromosomes won't evolve in any other way than self-repairing or extinction.
It can be noted that the Dunnart has a Y chromosome that has shrunk to only 4 genes, the smallest of any mammal, with no apparent ill effect.
Read more about this topic: Adam's Curse
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