Comments on Don't Feed the Animals: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Sexual Biology (Ma...

@Nomad Not necessarily. It may seem like they'...

2009-11-24T12:40:13.488-05:00

@Nomad

Not necessarily. It may seem like they're at a...disadvantage to us, but remember that we've evolved to have large genitalia. :-) Me and my husband have agreed that if we ever meet sentient life, they're likely to look rather askance at our large sexual organs.

"I can see what *this* species has on the brain!"

poor gorillas.

2009-10-24T13:14:54.580-04:00

poor gorillas.

Is "factoid" the linguistic equivalent o...

2009-10-23T10:44:56.796-04:00

Is "factoid" the linguistic equivalent of "hemorrhoid?"

^^ the "basic" human form, the one that ...

2009-10-22T01:48:09.453-04:00

^^ the "basic" human form, the one that doctors all study and think of as the start off point... is male ^^

Culturally perhaps, but medically that's false. We all start out female. If anything interupts the activity of testosterone during the 2nd and 3rd month of gestation we stay female even if we have male chromosomes.

And regarding those African circumcision studies about HIV; they also announced this summer that the HIV+ men they circumcised were 50% more likely to infect their monogamous female partners than the HIV+ men they left intact were.

Thanks to everyone who read this article. I don...

2009-10-21T10:41:19.200-04:00

Thanks to everyone who read this article. I don't mind if you submit corrections, just be polite about them.

pheonix: actually you're the one who sounds s...

2009-10-21T09:49:18.737-04:00

pheonix:

actually you're the one who sounds silly when you correct things that don't need to be corrected.

the definition you give doesn't even support your claims.

"Factoid has since developed a second meaning, that of a brief, somewhat interesting fact, that might better have been called a factette."

That's the meaning he's using. The word has this meaning today. It didn't 100 years ago. That's language for you...

Wow, you are right! I had no idea! Jess www.anony...

2009-10-21T08:45:21.041-04:00

Wow, you are right! I had no idea!

Jess
www.anonymous.ua.tc

Obviously there is no "default" human fo...

2009-10-21T08:39:53.453-04:00

Obviously there is no "default" human form, women are not just men with slight twists, that was a bit of a joke. But male is what the medical profession studies, hence the referral to doctors specifically, in the earlier post. Or at least that's how the students at UCSF Medical school have been schooled as of... 2001 if I recall.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/factoid fa...

2009-10-21T08:27:24.650-04:00

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/factoid

factoid
–noun
1. an insignificant or trivial fact.
2. something fictitious or unsubstantiated that is presented as fact, devised esp. to gain publicity and accepted because of constant repetition.

refer to definition number 1, cool your jets guy

"We are by default female, NOT male" Th...

2009-10-21T07:53:04.081-04:00

"We are by default female, NOT male"

This is a commonly repeated oversimplification of prenatal development. There is no "default" human form; women have a vestigial penis and men have pointless nipples. Each sex is an alternative form of the other - and there is considerable scope for development that rests in between the two [witness the various possible forms of hermaphrodism that exist].

Whoa there. The "basic" human form is ma...

2009-10-21T07:35:39.996-04:00

Whoa there. The "basic" human form is male? That is incorrect.

If the developing fetus does not get the proper signals from the Y chromosome (assuming everything else works properly) it will develop female. We are by default female, NOT male.

Andrew, an erect Bonobo penis is about 10-18cm (4-...

2009-10-21T06:39:39.840-04:00

Andrew, an erect Bonobo penis is about 10-18cm (4-7 inches), but much narrower than a human penis. (source)

Andrew G, please stop using 'factoid' incorrectly!

Two appearances of 'factoid' on this post, both of them WRONG. Here's a snippet from the dictionary:

USAGE NOTE: The -oid suffix normally imparts the meaning "resembling, having the appearance of" to the words it attaches to. Thus the anthropoid apes are the apes that are most like humans (from Greek anthrōpos, "human being"). In some words -oid has a slightly extended meaning-"having characteristics of, but not the same as," as in humanoid, a being that has human characteristics but is not really human.

Similarly, factoid originally referred to a piece of information that appears to be reliable or accurate, as from being repeated so often that people assume it is true. The word still has this meaning in standard usage.

Factoid has since developed a second meaning, that of a brief, somewhat interesting fact, that might better have been called a factette.

source: http://www.answers.com/factoid

tl;dr
'Factoid' means something that seems like it is true, but (most likely) is NOT.

People sound like idiots when they get this wrong.

According to the book by Frans de Waal "Our I...

2009-10-21T04:56:50.039-04:00

According to the book by Frans de Waal "Our Inner Ape" Bonobo's have the largest penises and balls. This article fails completely to even acknowledge Bonobo's existence. Moreover, Bonobo's are the most sexual of all the Great Apes. See more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonobo

There are a lot of facts presented here. It'd ...

2009-10-21T00:11:10.921-04:00

There are a lot of facts presented here. It'd be interesting to see some attribution.

Circumcision actually increases the rate of transm...

2009-10-20T23:28:10.602-04:00

Circumcision actually increases the rate of transmission from men to women and has zero effect on transmission from man to man- an effect that would have a net negative impact on the HIV epidemic, even if the supposed reduction in transmission from women to men were true.

http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2009/07/16/circumcision-doesnt-lessen-hiv-transmission.html

Well, I'd love to attract readers with this po...

2009-10-20T23:21:52.259-04:00

Well, I'd love to attract readers with this post. I think my other post are just as worthy, if not more, of a read.

I love this post. Was this a clever ploy to lure b...

2009-10-20T23:12:02.178-04:00

I love this post. Was this a clever ploy to lure blog readers, educational research, a "I'm bored and feel like googling" moment, a porn-search gone awry, or all of the above?

Actually the "basic" human form, the one...

2009-10-20T22:49:29.716-04:00

Actually the "basic" human form, the one that doctors all study and think of as the start off point... is male. Women are apparently just males with breasts and an... outside-in penis and testicles... I guess.

And semen is designed to subdue a woman's immune system...? Hmmm less fluid exchange during the autumn months... check. lol

Amusing factoids.