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Rare 'half-male, half-female' cardinal photographed in Pennsylvania

bbc.com

21–30 of 96 posts

Re: Rare 'half-male, half-female' cardinal photographed in Pennsylvania

#21
post #14

Hard not to wonder if the endocrine disrupting chemicals we haven't banned but are changing sexes of many species, likely including ourselves, contributed.

It's unlikely, since this resulted from an abnormality in early development, before the specimen developed an endoctrinal system.

N.b. that bisexual chmærism happens all the time, but tends to go unnoticed so long as both gonads belong to the same sex, which is typically the case, as they are organs located close together.

What triggers this is that both gonads belong to different strata of the chimæra, and that thus one develops into male gonads, and the other into female gonads.

One's entire body can belong to a female stratum in the chimæra, but so long as only the tissue that forms the gonads belongs to a male stratum, they will develop into testes, and influence the entire female stratum to also develop masculine characteristics, as male and female cells are not differently receptive to sex hormones.

Re: Rare 'half-male, half-female' cardinal photographed in Pennsylvania

#23
I think it's lovely how accessible high quality photographic equipment has become. Naturalism is much easier when it's not just the "professionals" who have access to high-quality telephoto equipment. These clear, detailed photographs were taken in a rush!

Technology is so good that even entry level cameras have sensors that put professional camera sensors from fifteen years ago to shame. It's easy to feel like we are drowning in lazy photography, but the same technology makes things like this possible.

Re: Rare 'half-male, half-female' cardinal photographed in Pennsylvania

#24
post #14

Hard not to wonder if the endocrine disrupting chemicals we haven't banned but are changing sexes of many species, likely including ourselves, contributed.

This is not an endocrine disruption but a genetic condition.

Re: Rare 'half-male, half-female' cardinal photographed in Pennsylvania

#26

I think it's lovely how accessible high quality photographic equipment has become. Naturalism is much easier when it's not just the "professionals" who have access to high-quality telephoto equipment. These clear, detailed photographs were taken in a rush! Technology is so good that even entry level cameras have sensors that put professional camera sensors from fifteen years ago to shame. It's easy to feel like we ar…

For one moment I thought this was about photography of naturism, which is a totally different thing.

Re: Rare 'half-male, half-female' cardinal photographed in Pennsylvania

#28

he/her

I always wondered about this strange form if it suggests that one is permitted to have nonstandard combinations of subject and object pronouns. It seems odd to me to list them separately. — certainly, if I see “he” I would assume that the object pronoun is to be “him”, and the genitive and possessive pronouns “his”.

When you hear a pronoun mix like he/they, that's usually shorthand for "I use both he/him/his and they/them/theirs pronouns."

Re: Rare 'half-male, half-female' cardinal photographed in Pennsylvania

#29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I always wondered about this strange form if it suggests that one is permitted to have nonstandard combinations of subject and object pronouns. It seems odd to me to list them separately. — certainly, if I see “he” I would assume that the object pronoun is to be “him”, and the genitive and possessive pronouns “his”.

When you hear a pronoun mix like he/they, that's usually shorthand for "I use both he/him/his and they/them/theirs pronouns."

I understand the need for “he/they”; I do not understand the need for “he/him” opposed to simply “he”.

If I see “he”, I and everyone else I would gather, would certainly assume that the object pronoun congruates.

Re: Rare 'half-male, half-female' cardinal photographed in Pennsylvania

#30

he/her

I always wondered about this strange form if it suggests that one is permitted to have nonstandard combinations of subject and object pronouns. It seems odd to me to list them separately. — certainly, if I see “he” I would assume that the object pronoun is to be “him”, and the genitive and possessive pronouns “his”.

Watch what happens if you try to tell people to use him/he for you instead of he/him.
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