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Why Men Don't Have Sensory Whiskers and Spiny Genitals
sciencehabit writes "Most male mammals wield a penis covered with spines made of keratin, the same material that forms fingernails, to sweep out competitors' sperm and irritate a female into ovulating. Even chimpanzees, our closest relatives, have penile spines. So why don't men? A new study suggests that this feature disappeared due to a chunk of DNA that went missing after our evolutionary divergence from chimps. The researchers have identified another DNA deletion that may have contributed to humans' bigger brains."
Because I'm good at irritating females, yet somehow it doesn't lead to their ovulating.
What, you mean these spines on my penis aren't normal?
I'd better go see a doctor.
...because I refrain from sex with porcupines and hedgehogs. And I didn't even have to RTFA.
The phrase "wield a penis" appears in it.
I am Bennett Haselton! I am Bennett Haselton!
All the women had sex with the first freak born without them.
...we evolved from a common ancestor. That Ancestor is not a chimp but something completely different in terms of biological classification. That's like saying A GPS device evolved form a defibrillator.
...because women, generally, don't want them? They by & large run the reproductive sweepstakes, even back in the "me big strong caveman, me conk woman on head" days when "consent" was a little more broadly interpreted.
And which came first, male lack of spines, or female concealed ovulation?
When analyzing the genetic record, how can one 'sort out' the distinction between DNA changes that have happened due to mutation, compared to the changes induced by broad and consistent female choice?
-Styopa
"How do you know I don't?"
... I'll have a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster with a side of Plutonium Nyborg
Most male mammals wield a penis covered with spines made of keratin, the same material that forms fingernails, to sweep out competitors' sperm and irritate a female into ovulating.
Human females are different. They get irritated when ovulating. Before, during and after, in fact.
Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
From TFA: Men don't have spiny penises or sensory whiskers on their faces because some DNA got deleted. Likewise some brain growth. Couple of researchers decided to look at what humans are missing relative to chimps, as opposed to what we have that is extra. They found a buncha stuff but don't really know what it means.
Except that one area involves penile spines and sensory whiskers. Another area has to do with brain growth.
Not a lot of actual info here.
-- "Oh. This guy again."
Don't click on those URL shorteners!
Set your phasers on "funky"!
I've always wondered about this.
Does that mean woman do??? (Hey, its slashdot...)
No single raindrop believes it is to blame for the flood.
Don't click on those URL shorteners!
No url shortener - I quoted part of the article I linked to.
Though I *did* leave out this part out, since it wasn't really on topic
Mentioned on slashdot.
Better than being copied directly from last week's Slashdot listings!
Even chimpanzees, our closest relatives, have penile spines. So why don't men?
Intelligent Design aka Creationism perhaps?
Wonder if the furry fanciers would be so eager if they knew it came as a matching set...
Because human females collectively didn't like it for whatever reason, and selected against it. Nothing more, nothing less. Evolution in action.
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
So do a lot of monkeys.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
Spined for her pleasure?
So why don't men?
Er, RTFA? RTFS? FFS. I must be new here.
Intelligent Design aka Creationism perhaps?
Don't be stupid. Of course not.
SJW n. One who posts facts.
So Eve was created from a ribbed?
Still in the genepool only very diluted: https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Hirsuties_coronae_glandis
I think, therefore you are.
Which will no doubt take some barbed comments and pointed insights to thrust ourselves into a much deeper and greater understanding.
Perhaps twice, after a 30 minute resting period.
Please do not read this sig. Thank you.
Google for bonobos (also known as pygmy chimpanzees), they've gotten us beaten hands down on that front.
Not so much. Sure, Bonobos are a great deal more promiscuous and use sex for social bonding as a group, but I think the OP was referring to the pair-bonding required for long-term care of very vulnerable offspring. Bonobos do not have monogamous sexual relationships at all.
"Somebody has to do something. It's just incredibly pathetic it has to be us."
--- Jerry Garcia
First off, human males *do* have a mechanism to sweep out sperm from other males, consisting of the most visually obvious part of the male penis and protracted mechanical movement. We lost spikes, we evolved something else to do the same function. Secondly, there are many other mammals that have different methods for accomplishing the same thing: male squirrels have something like superglue that forms a plug after coitus, to prevent other males gaining access afterwards. (And female squirrels have claws and quite a bit of expertise in removing those same plugs, as you'd expect in any good arms race.) Likewise, many male lizards and insects avoid the problem by just staying connected until the female is ready to lay her eggs, which puts a whole lot of stress on the female during that period: they both get eaten pretty often.
But if you really want to get weird, go look at insects like bedbugs, where males practice traumatic insemination: they don't go looking for an orifice, they make one, and let the female's body figure out what to do with the results. Or bees, where the barbs aren't there to stimulate ovulation but to make sure the penis breaks off and acts as a plug that can't be removed.
And the next step weirder is hermaphrodites, where mating is a contest in which both wish to inseminate the other without getting inseminated, so mating strategies get seriously complicated. (The phrase 'penis fencing' has been used.)
Anyone who is curious about this should read the brilliant book Promiscuity: the evolutionary history of sperm competition by Tim Birkhead. It will make you relieved to be human.
Nostalgia's not what it used to be.
That is when the aliens has sex with the apes
Is calling someone a spineless bastard a complement?
IT's not a troll, he's trying to be funny.
Just becasue you're sensitive to an issue, doesn't mean every comment about it is a troll.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
Is there something so sacred about the penis that it can't be talked about rationally?
As the sibling to my original post says, these are very common, but I've never heard people talk about them.
Don't be stupid? You are new here
All your 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0 are belong to us
like penguins?
w.e the earth is only 6 thousand years old. 5 years isnt that short in comparison.
How would you know?
Is there something so sacred about the penis that it can't be talked about rationally?
No, not sacred at all. Although, I would prefer you refer to it as "pee-pee".
When are you going to learn that Darwin doesn't exist!
Quite. He died ages ago.
SJW n. One who posts facts.
Duh, he listens to Love Line and Dr. Drew, who is always going on about how he hears many more complaints from women about their partners being too big rather than too small. And also about partners who last too long. Apparently bruising and chafing are bigger deals than a lack of performance which can be made up with extra foreplay.
So I'm set! =D
The enemies of Democracy are
Don't forget the pigs!
"To prevent this day from getting any worse, I'll just read ERROR as GOOD THING" 1GJU8xLuDKDxEs4KLf8fAGyptoDsqvEsBT
The home remedies in this previous version are worth the read.
Do you even lift?
These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.
We'll be puzzling over our lack of elbow talons.
Do they end up with a pack a day habit?
fap fap fap...
The reason Bonobos are perceived to be matriarchal is that females tend to collectively dominate males by forming alliances. The females also use their sexuality to control males.
So humans weren't the first species to develop "Freshman Dorms?"
How would you know?
We could conduct a Slashdot Poll. Have all the women reply with their preference on........
..... Uh. Sorry. This is Slashdot. No women. What was I thinking?
Still, one wonders exactly what the 'CowboyNeal' option would be.
Have gnu, will travel.
Pee-Pee? Ok then, don't forget the 'Woo-Woo'
(if you get that reference, then you should be the head of the Institute for the Very Very Nervous).
Don't be apathetic. Procrastinate!
A logical evolutionary step, where physical capability took second place to mental flexibility. Those groups of human where physical capability took precedence over mental flexibility died out when adverse environmental conditions left them less capable of surviving then the mentally flexible brethren who could throw rocks, start a fire and put on and take off a fur coat.
The biggest driver for human evolution has likely been the recent (in evolutionary terms 2 million odd years) repeated ice ages giving precedence to mental agility of physical capability (being able to remain in a region and not having to pursue suitable climatic regions whilst stressed and against competition).
Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
or the women preferred men with un-calloused hands, or both
look sig is kool
So that's why furries love me.
Yes, I actually do have that. Always had it, and never worried much about it, but it's nice to know what it actually is. Thanks :-)
What a depressingly stupid machine.
Knowing the female anatomy, I lack to see the use this would have , scraping some sort of fingernail material around inside of them, some already have a problem with just getting poked in the first place.....without at least being brought out to diner first
However, I since found out that they did some popular long-running TV cartoons in the 90s (which I hadn't been aware of, having been past kids cartoons at that point). It appears that this is where the characterisation et al comes from.
In the cartoons, it was Dr. Robotnik who was obsessed with penises.
"In Soviet Russia, horse rides CowboyNeal"?
The home remedies in this previous version are worth the read.
I started reading, and the next thing I knew, I was back on Slashdot, the back button on my keyboard was smoking, and I had a rapidly fading memory of the words "soldering iron."
i'd hit it so hard, if you pulled me out you'd be the king of britain [bash.org]