Cameron Smith (cameron at ecst.csuchico.edu) wrote:
: I am looking at biology textbooks, specifically the human
: reproduction chapter. I have been intrigued when looking at biology
: textbooks which describe the sperm and egg meeting. Many of them read
: something like this:
:: " hunderds of thousands of sperm swim up the fallopian tubes and
: search of the single egg. Then when the sperm find the egg they swarm
: around it as if magnetized, and all attack the egg until one finally
: penetrates it..."
: This story is a common one. I was rather disturbed when thinking :
about it as it almost sounds like a gang-rape sequence. The I began to :
look at how the egg is seen as passive and the sperms viewed as active. :
Any positions on this issue? I'd love to hear how those in the : biology
community feel about this (remember I am based in a Communication :
department-- and I usually look at the rhetorical implications of :
narrative).
MY REPLY :
Well, Cameron, I'm of the humble of opinion that that IS actually how it
happens. Although eggs do not move themselves, I suppose descriptions
could be written to emphasize the strong attractive chemistry that the
egg exudes to get the sperm to it in the first place. And the poor
mindless sperm, like lemmings simply follow their genetic
program and once one sperm gets in, the egg slams the door shut to
multiple fertilizations, and the rest of them simply swim around and die.
THis would make the egg seem more powerful, I suppose.
My $0.02 - Laura
--
Laura Hyatt
University of Pennsylvania
Department of Biology
Philadelphia, PA 19104
voice : 215/573-2987
fax : 215/898-8780
email : lhyatt at mail.sas.upenn.edu
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The biggest sin is sitting on your ass. -- Florynce Kennedy
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