From Humans to Asparagus: Females Are Females

Description

Developmental biologist Dr. Emma Hilton (@FondOfBeetles) provides us with a reliable method for recognizing the female of any species across the animal kingdom.

Hint: She makes large ________.

Sources

Contributors to this video:

[1] Hilton, E. (2019). From humans to asparagus, females are females. FondOfBeetles Blog.

Transcript

In her 1990 book 'Gender Trouble,' queer theorist Judith Butler argued that the category of female was no longer reliable. "Precisely because female no longer appears to be a stable notion," she writes, "its meaning is as troubled and unfixed as 'woman.'" Of course, Butler does not give any evidence to back up such a statement. One might wonder how 'female' is an unstable category. Or how the meaning of woman is 'troubled' and 'unfixed,' like Butler's sense of reality. Outside of her UC Berkeley Echo Chamber, there exists a fundamental reality: the sex of most, if not all, species is defined through the gametes they produce.

So to show that Butler's claim is simply an expression of academic theorizing and wishful fantasy, let's go through exactly how we recognize the female of many species across the animal kingdom. Here, developmental biologist Dr. Emma Hilton provides us with one of her most popular games: How To Recognize The Female!

The only thing you need to know is this: whether you're a male or female depends on the gametes your body is structured to produce; male bodies develop towards the production of small gametes (sperm) and female bodies develop towards the production of large gametes (eggs). Now that you know the basics, let's get started. The following information was compiled by Dr. Hilton, which you can read for yourself in the description to this video.

We'll begin with our own species. In humans, sex is determined through the XX/XY system. Sometimes, chromosomal variations occur, but these variations still produce a male or female. So, even with variations of chromosomes, how can we recognize the female? It's simple: she makes large gametes.

Maybe that was too easy, let's move onto hyenas. "Female spotted hyenas have a pseudo-penis," writes Dr. Hilton, "Which is internalized during mating and through which she gives birth." If both male and female hyenas have a penis-like structure, then how do we recognize the female? Again, it's actually rather simple. Or, as Dr. Hilton says, "She's giving birth through a massively overgrown clitoris, what more do you want as an identifying feature? Oh, and she makes large gametes."

Next, birds like ducks and peacocks operate with a ZZ/ZW chromosomal system. "Birds genetically determine sex," writes Dr. Hilton, "but using ZW, not XY, chromosomes. Males, with ZZ, are the homogametic sex, and females, with ZW, determine the sex of babies." So, how do we recognize the female? Can you take a guess? That's right! She makes large gametes. And, as Dr. Hilton says, "Like most female birds, she prefers discreet clothing." Outside of ducks, peacocks are examples of sexual selection gone mental. How to recognize the female? She too makes large gametes, and unlike the males, she's not a showoff.

Let's try a difficult one. What about platypuses? They have five pairs of sex chromosomes, not two pairs like other animals. "Females have five pairs of XX and males five pairs of XY, but pairs 3 and 5 look a bit more like ZW chromosomes than mammalian XY chromosomes. I guess you could say they're complicated creatures," says Dr. Hilton. So, if they have five pairs of sex chromosomes, how do we know who the female is? Well, she's the only furry mammal that lays eggs--THAT, is one unique female. So, she too, makes large gametes.

And now it's time for something completely different: temperature sex determination (TSD). In crocodiles, sex is "determined by environmental temperature during the middle third of development. Male development requires intermediate temperatures, while females develop at lower or higher extremes." How to recognize the female? "She's hard as nails, unlike her male counterpart, she can handle anything outside 'tepid.' Oh, and she makes large gametes."

What about another temperature sensitive reptile known as a tuatara? "Sex determination is so extremely temperature sensitive that climate change is causing them to be largely male." So, how to recognize the male? He makes small gametes. "He can also be seen looking annoyed at enforced incel status."

Now that we've covered mammals and reptiles, what about fish? Let's take a look at three of them. First, seahorses. "Female seahorses deposit their eggs into the male brood pouch where he fertilises them," writes Dr. Hilton, "She then lounges around while the male carries and births the baby seahorses. Sounds great." How do we recognize the female? "She's big and she's winning at life." And, she also happens to make large gametes.

Next is the Anglerfish, which looks awfully similar to me after pulling an all-nighter. "These fish display extreme dimorphism between the sexes," writes the doctor, "The tiny males permanently fuse themselves to a female, adopting a parasitic lifestyle for the privilege of being first to contribute sperm to laid eggs." How do we recognize the female? "She is big and can be decorated with several parasitic males." And of course, she makes large gametes.

Finally, for the fish category, we have clownfish, which have been infamously used to claim that you, YES YOU, can change the gametes you produce. "These fish, like many others," writes Dr. Hilton, "are sequential hermaphrodites. In the case of clownfish, a group contains one dominant female and if she is removed from the group, a male changes into a female to replace her. Sex change in clownfish occurs when the testicular tissue of the bipotential gonad is regressed and ovarian tissue promoted." So, how can we recognize the female: "she's usually big." And, she too, makes large gametes.

Next we have bees! "Sex in bees is determined by number of chromosome sets," writes the doctor, "Females have two pairs of 16 chromosomes (32 total) while males have a single set of 16 chromosomes. Males develop from unfertilized eggs and their only genetic material is derived from their mother." How to recognize the female: she makes large gametes.

Now for head lice. Annoying buggers. "The female transmits chromosomes she inherited from either her mum or dad; the male *only* transmits chromosomes he inherited from his mum." How to recognize the female: she makes large gametes."

Now for something really strange: Flatworms! "More simultaneous hermaphrodites. When it comes to reproducing, individuals penis fence to determine which will take the male role. Most of the time, no-one wins." So, after this painful battle is over, how do we recognize the female part? Simple: It makes large gametes.

Straw-not technically a berry-berries. Delicious hermaphrodites. "Genetic sex determination is polygenic and may reasonably be described as a (limited) spectrum." How to recognize the female part: it makes large gametes."

Now for the beautiful Lily. "Like many flowering plants, lilies are simultaneous hermaphrodites. This means they contain both male and female reproductive systems in the same individual." How do we recognize the female part? "It doesn't give you hayfever and it makes large gametes."

Mushrooms! Delicious. How to recognize the female? Well, it's a trick question. As Dr. Hilton writes, "There are no females ('there is only Zuul'). 'Female' and 'male' are predicated on two and only two differential gametes, and fungi don't have them thingies, settling instead for equivalent gametes labelled +/-, or A/B." Also known as 'this sounds really boring.'

Now for the last one: a tasty vegetable known as Asparagus. "No sense of sexed self and no plausible mechanism for social construction of gender." So, can you guess how we recognize the female? You're right! She makes large gametes.

And so, when we look at the incredible diversity of sex determination mechanisms across the animal kingdom, we can see that sex is recognized with ease. It is not unstable or unfixed as Butler describes it. It is rather simple. Next time you see activists claiming that sex exists on a spectrum or that male and female are unreliable terms, ask them how we recognize the female. The answer: she makes large gametes.

I'm Zach, author of the Gender Paradox, for the Paradox Institute.

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© 2020 Zachary A. Elliott, All Rights Reserved.