For years, science has known of a link between Y chromosome loss and a shorter lifespan. But a new study shows that loss of the Y chromosome can directly contribute to life-threatening age-related conditions, like heart disease. A report in the journal Science, “Hematopoietic loss of Y chromosome leads to cardiac fibrosis and heart failure mortality,” suggests the connection between a loss of Y chromosomes and heart disease is so strong that it may be useful to screen for that chromosome loss to identify whether a man is at risk of cardiovascular problems.