GC: Scientists say sex is a spectrum, even an illusory man-made social construct

submitted by Fastandthecurious from self.GCdebatesQT

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[–]Fastandthecurious[S] 2 insightful - 7 fun2 insightful - 6 fun3 insightful - 7 fun -  (3 children)

In the post, this article claims a honey bee was made by two males and no females: https://www.forbes.com/sites/grrlscientist/2018/11/28/a-honeybee-with-two-fathers-and-no-mother/#740bc6f84405

Genetic analysis revealed that nine of the 11 gynandromorphs had either two or three fathers. Astonishingly, one gynandromorph -- the seemingly normal female control -- actually had two fathers and no mother -- an event that could only have resulted from sperm fusion.

“The female bee that had two fathers created by the fusion of two sperms is the first reported in haplodiploids and is an interesting phenomena considering that attempts to fuse two sperm in mammalians have not [been] found to be possible,” Ms. Aamidor elaborated in email.

This study begins to expand our limited understanding of the truly unusual ways that sexual animals can fuse their genomes.

Two sperms come together to create a zygote, which means there is no difference between a sperm and an egg. Two sperms can fertilize each other. Two eggs can fertilize each other. There isn't a difference between a male and a female.

[–]loveSloaneDebate King 16 insightful - 2 fun16 insightful - 1 fun17 insightful - 2 fun -  (2 children)

And humans are exactly like bees so I guess you’ve won the whole debate sub lol

Surely you realize there’s a reason this was worth being written about?

[–]Fastandthecurious[S] 2 insightful - 8 fun2 insightful - 7 fun3 insightful - 8 fun -  (1 child)

Humans are not bees. But the bee shows sex being a binary is not universal across animals. It means there is no actual difference between a male and a female because two eggs or two sperms can make a zygote too, and male and female are social constructs that only work for humans, not other animals.

[–]kwallio 20 insightful - 1 fun20 insightful - 0 fun21 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Please argue from human biology. Bees are not humans. Fungi are not humans.