#I am also not a biologist

[bigbroadvice]

I keep seeing this term ‘biological male’ being thrown around. There are lots of reasons why this is an innacurate and unhelpful description, but I’d like to examin just this term for a moment.

What exactly is a ‘biological male?’ The definition of biology is “the physiology, behavior, and other qualities of a particular organism or class of organisms.“ So let’s brake that down a bit. In refference to humans that means organ structures and chemicals that run those organs. So when talking about biological sexes, we’re probably referencing a certain set of average characteristics shared by people with XX chromosomes, XY chromosomes, or other sets of chromosomes which are part of natural human variation like XXY, XYY, XXX, XXXXY, X, XXXXXX, and XXXY (learned about those in biology class. It’s really cool how much more diversity there is to human biology than you generally think about. If we’re basing sex off of DNA, there are indeed WAY more than two sexes).

Now the way that any of those sets of DNA (which are known as genotypes) translate to how the body looks and works (phenotypes), is by making chemicals. Those chemicals are what build all the organs and keep them running the way they do. DNA isn’t the only thing deciding how much of each chemical there is though. Environmental factors like the food we eat, medicine we take, other organisms living inside us like bacteria and viruses, chemicals we absorb from the environment, and even stress massively impact body chemistry, often completely overriding DNA. So sometimes you might have the genotype for one thing and end up with a different phenotype. Like people who were born with tall genes but end up short as adults because during the time they were developing they didn’t have access to adequate nutrition. Their DNA might say one thing but in reality, they turned out as something else. The short person with tall genes is still short, regardless of what their DNA says.

Phenotype can also be directly changed by outside forces, like getting a limb blown off in an explosion, getting your ears pierced, or having surgery. These overide both DNA and body chemistry. A person with the DNA and chemicals to have two arms but had one arm chopped off is phenotypically a one armed person.

When reffering to different sexes, we’re usually talking about generalized groupings of phenotype, like gential organs, bone structure, musculature, hair growth, and fat distribution. These phenotypes are generally determined by chemicals called hormones. Just like any other chemicals, these too are impacted by environmental factors like what we eat and what medicines we take. So when someone takes a medicine that alters their hormone levels, that alters their phenotype. Just like how growing up with healthy foods and vitamins can help kids develop strong and healthy bodies, medicines like puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapy lead to bodies developing differently. These phenotypes can of course also be altered through surgery by deconstructing and reconstructing different parts of the body like genitalia and facial bone structure. By changing the chemicals and organ structures they have changed the biology.

So what is a ‘biological male?’ A biological male would presumably be someone with the general phenotypes of the group called males. If someone does not have those phenotypes, it wouldn’t make sense to call them a biological male. So according to the definition of biology, a trans woman whose physiology, behavior, and other qualities align with those exhibited by females is not a biological male. She is a biological female.

#I wrote this up in a response to a video my dad sent me from a right wing news station #wailing about the horrors of ‘biological males’ in women’s sports #it is by no means meant to be a complete analysis of that issue #or a thesis on why trans women are women #women and females are not the same thing #I am also not a biologist #I’m just a dude who took biology in school like everyone else #which is why I’m fairly confused about why so many people do not seem to have a grasp of basic biology #and keep on trying to use it to argue things it does not say #biological male #biological female #biological sex #biology #basic science #human biology #trans women #trans women in sports #trans women are real women #transexual #transexual women

[opens-up-4-nobody]

:-

#ok im actually full on watching one piece after being absolutely obsessed with sanji for 10 years despite not actually watching the show #and i was very afraid that it was gonna make me hate him but i mean 60 eps in and im just like. lmao look at this dork ass loser #hes a sweetheart but also i wanna hold his head underwater. so it goes. also absolutely obsessed with the concept of fish Biologist sanji #in a way that is completely unhinged. like am i gonna have to write a fic abt sanji waxing I poetic abt evolution and physiology? #bc i dont think anyone else is gonna do it for me 😭 #im afraid its only gonna get worse. the characterization of sanji. its so sad when ur number 1 bby girl is thr fucking worst #sanji #one piece

[sigmastolen]

shower thought: for blue mutants like beast, nightcrawler, mystique, is that blue from pigment? or is it structural? like, there are only a handful of animals that produce an actual blue pigment and iirc they're all butterflies; any blue animal "with a backbone," as NPR put it, uses structural coloration

so if their blue is structural, is it pretty stable, like a macaw or a blue jay? or does it change from different angles, like a morpho butterfly or a hummingbird's gorget?

specifically: what if kurt has been iridescent this whole time ???

#hear me out i think this could be implied by the way his shadows are characteristically drawn #that black mask of shadow? you're at the wrong angle for the blue to refract that's just melanin babey #disclaimer i am not a biologist or a physicist i am but an illiterate musician #i also have not kept up with x-men comics in y e a r s and did not even attempt to look this up #thinky thoughts #kurt wagner #nightcrawler #thrilling picture narrative #sworn to protect a world that hates and fears them #wow maybe i do need a nightcrawler tag #science!!!!

[canisitsnotlupus]

Hey y'all,

We recently found a rabid skunk on the farm today (10/17) and I need to do rabies boosters on everyone. It's caught me off guard, especially in the middle of the month when my SSDI check is pretty much gone, and I just don't have the money to cover this when it's so sudden and pressing to get done ASAP.

No one has to donate, I will definitely try to figure it out, but I was told by friends to ask anyway, so:

COVERED

I will be scheduling the farm vet to come out to do it as that is easiest for me instead of carting 2-3 dogs 40 mins away and taking all day to get everyone done, but it does incur a travel fee. edit: thanks all! got it covered, will be calling the farm vet first thing tomorrow to get him to come out and booster everyone. this has been a NIGHTMARE.

#game warden came with a biologist and took it to dispose of it #literally so scary to deal with #i can also pay people back if you want just give a message and i will figure it out #i AM sorry to ask for this i was in a good place and was saving for black friday and will obviously be using that but it's not enough #and won't cover the entire bill and they're closed rn so idk if they will work with me on it #basically panicking but would rather have the peace of mind to cover it #trying to save for black friday at least but it kept getting used for like “food” and “heating”

[wazzappp]

Ok @moosemonstrous here we fuckin go.

OK SO. I apologize if it comes off more Evangellion than Pacific Rim but I thought that making The Charger more slender would help to differentiate it and allow for a focus on agility (also helps it to look more skeletal and unsettling).

The Charger is built in layers. An outer layer that constitutes the armor, a thinner covering, metal scaffolding, secondary thin covering, and then finally the essential wiring that makes the 'nervous system' of the Jaeger. Most of the damage (corruption scars, nicks, paint chipping) is just cosmetic, and the structural nature of the Jaeger is intact.

HOWEVER. The same can not be said of the reactor core. At some point (maybe during Eli's death?) corruption made its way behind the main fans of the outer engine and into the main reactor that powers the Jaeger. In theory this should lead to a catastrophic failure, but in this instance Im thinking there was a chemical reaction that essentially stabilized the corrosive nature of the Corruption (were gonna circle back to that).

For the most part my version of Robbies suit is fairly standard. I added an orange tint to his helmet screen for flavor because hey. Why not.

The spine of the suit is probably newly integrated to allow for an updated interface, I imagine theres at least a little development in the technology between the time Eli dies and Robbie comes into play. That would make the suit a weird mishmash of past and new technology which could be VERY fun.

Also I LOVED the white accents @cicada-candy added for their design but I didn't want to steal ideas so I just added it in my own places. Your art fucks severely bro I just wanted to make sure and let you know that <3

TIME FOR MY FAVORITE PART: SPECULATION ABOUT THE CORRUPTION AND ITS THEORETICAL GENETIC EFFECTS IN DOSES ON A SUBJECT!!!!!! (AKA self indulgence part 2 electric boogaloo)

I believe you mentioned the Corruption being a Neurotoxin which would be Very fun and VERY cool but I also have a suggestion. Mainly because you also referenced an increase in Robbies strength, as well as another person who got fuckin deaded shortly after.

A rapid growth in muscle density to allow for this strength would be very interesting, but why would the Corruption cause that? Simple answer; it isn't. At least not intentionally. Whats actually happening is a kind of nerve damage that changes the brains regulation of muscular exertion. Our brains really only let us use a certain percentage of our real strength, because if we just let loose and used it all we would cause significant physical damage to ourselves. Like. ripping your own tendons free from their anchors. you could break your own bones. you would die SO fast bro.

Now it is POSSIBLE to access this strength in situations of extreme stress and thats how you get people lifting cars off of loved ones, but this does still cause damage. It also gets more complicated when you consider Fast Twitch muscle reactions but for the sake of simplicity: You Would Die.

So a release of cortisol and other stress hormones, combined with a lessened ability to control strength. This means they would be USING that strength A LOT against ANYONE AND EVERYONE. But maintaining this sort of metabolism is not reasonable. Someone suffering from Corruption would likely also suffer from Hypoglycemia fatally. So extremely strong, extremely scared, and extremely short lived is the kind of deal we would be talking about here.

SO. Having said ALL OF THAT. WHAT IS ROBBIES DEAL. Well heres my proposal: The Corruption is a virus that causes neurodegenerative disease.

If Robbie was exposed to very small amounts of it as a child, it's possible it was inactive or defective, which would have allowed for an immunization point. Its also highly possible that this is a virus that can not survive (well i say survive very lightly. theres significant debate as to wether viruses are actually alive at all but I digress) outside its usual area AKA Inside a demon. He could have been exposed through contaminated water, direct contact, maybe even breathing burned version through the air. Either way, he came into contact with a weakened version of the virus and it helps him later on.

As he comes into DIRECT contact with Corruption via plugging into The Charger this is when we would start to see some more interesting effects. This Corruption would still be different though because of the aforementioned stabilizing chemical reaction in the reactor. Also, because I think Eli's DNA would be integrated into it. This provides Robbie with genetic compatibility for the virus to jump off of. Remember, viruses don't want to kill a host, they just want to reproduce as much as possible (which does end up killing a host but still). And a fun fact about viruses is that we never actually get rid of them, we just get rid of the symptoms. Once you have it its in you forever.

SO. 1. Immune response from Robbies body begins to cause the nervous damage that would allow for his rapid increase in strength. 2.Immune system recognizes the genetic material is familiar (Eli doing something good even inadvertently I guess). 3. Immune system neutralizes the virus and incorporates it into Robbies genetic coding. All good right? Happy ending? WRONG.

BECAUSE WHEN THERE ARE COPYING ERRORS IN YOUR DNA (SOMETIMES FROM VIRUSES) WHAT DO WE CALL IT?? DING DING DING 10 POINTS TO THE MUTUAL THAT SAID ✨MUTATION✨

This virus still carries genetic material from demons, this would also be getting integrated into Robbies DNA. Places like his spine which would have the most regular contact with the Corruption would probably take the brunt of these changes. It's possible that the nerve damage never truly goes away and he continuously tears and then rebuilds those muscles, resulting in overall increased strength thats technically?? stabilized?? Also I could totally see his body going 'oh shit were finally growing with decent access to fuel? BET' and just. Reactivates the growth plates in his bones ('Look! I've fixed his runt of the litter insecurity!' 'YOU FUCKED UP A PERFECTLY GOOD PILOT IS WHAT YOU DID. LOOK AT HIM. HES GOT ANXIETY ABOUT THE STATE OF HIS HUMANITY').

Oh yeah its also worth noting that this would be like. Pretty painful. We're talking constant soreness, cramps, deep aches that just won't go away. General suffering <3

Of course tapetum lucidum OF COURSE TEEF obviously as if I could go without it. You can get funky with mutations because hey. fucky wucky demon genome integration whoop whoop. Also could be interesting to see damaged areas on the Charger manifest on Robbie as damaged tissue. His skin says 'AH. Damage' and copies itself as scar tissue instead of the usual.

Oh god Ive been writing for a solid hour and a half I was supposed to be asleep a while ago ok. Moose I love this au and its making me unwell thank you for sharing with the class I hope you will consider my virus proposal for body horror purposes.

#love the idea of him just getting up one morning and going '??? Was the floor?? that far away before??' #im a sucker for it dude #also I am like. not a biologist . just enthusiastic about biology without the education. so take everything here with a grain of salt lmfao #i gotta go to sleep now. how am I gonna do that. much excitement. i make responsible choices like an adult. #ughhhh #robbie reyes #ghost rider #im prolly gonna look at this in the morning and edit the hell out of it because in my joyus haze of bullshit I didnt connect paragraphs #but fuck it we ball #pacific rim ghost rider au #my art #digital art #sketch #oh its also worth noting that the ✨mutations✨ im talking about generally result in like. cancer. very cancer #eli morrow #<- naughty. goes at the bottom of the list

[linddzz]

also I recently recut and dyed my hair and don't think I don't know that I LOOK like the exact sort of pretentious fucker who has Strong Feelings about the characterization of Odysseus in modern retellings

#the face #also i had to stay home bc ear infection kicked my ass today and i am. tired. #i look tired BUT liked how my hair turned out #and realized i was ranting about the odyssey while Languishing in a black turtleneck #anyway god put together all the ingredients for an english/classics major and then made me a marine biologist

[thecosmicapple]

@communist-hatsunemiku i misclicked and deleted the ask 😔

this is the video i got most of that info from

as your cells divide the dna can get fucked up due to mutations and usually that’s fine, dna is degenerative and so multiple combinations can code for the same thing to mitigate mutations but sometimes u can get so fucked over that a nessicary part of your dna becomes corrupted, say for example, the part that tells your cell to stop replicating

cancer is just when this happens, and the cell keeps replicating and making more copies of a corrupt cells, creating a tumor. these tumors of corse block things like blood vessels or can spread to places we really don’t want them to be

going back to the fact that blue whales are really big and their cells are really small, this means that they would need a REALLY big tumour to start to be affected. and so a small tumour keeps growing and growing, it’s cells replicating until wait. a mutation!

cancer cells are still body cells and thus just as susceptible to mutations. this means that they are able to fuck up and mutate to the point that suddenly, they start attacking themselves or stop replicating at all (not sure which it is i havnt seen the video for a while). Thus a tumour will destroy itself before it becomes a problem

#note i am NOT a biologist please watch the video for accurate info #but ty :) #um i also forgot what else u asked when i deleted the ask lmk if u have any other questions abt this i like science #ask #also btw ur posts FUCK i love seeing them on my feed :D #Youtube

[jimin-nothing-stronger]

I’ve long joked that Python is a slightly demonic programming language, but I just realized — Python, like the serpent of Eden! Python, like Crowley!

Anyway, my new headcanon is that Python is one of Crowley’s demonic innovations, designed to generate low-level discontent and petty bitterness among programmers and scientists around the globe. I cannot be convinced otherwise. (This is possibly the only way I can trick myself into actually appreciating its serpentine wiles.)

#every day is Take Your Fandom To Work Day if you’re committed enough to the bit #this has been your daily installment of Hot Takes From Local Biologist #(also for context i am an avid R and Java supporter and refuse to apologize for this) #good omens #crowley #data science #(ish)

[sirensskai]

I have gone to the level of insane that is thinking about cross-fandom relationships

#like what premades from the sims 2 would Oceana from Endless Ocean get along with #Jill Smith is into marine biology herself so they’d be friends #Oceana would want to know what Rick Contrary’s problem is (his parents are both marine biologists and he’s DISAPPOINTED???) #but then he’d start to warm up? (new OTP??? 😭) #also thinking about Ripp Grunt of couse I am #I think they’d be friends too #he becomes friends with everyone lol #reminder I did make Endless Ocean characters in sims 3 Island Paradise #them meeting is possible if I make them in sims 2 #endless ocean #sims 2 #ts2

[blood-mocha-latte]

15 because I neesd to know about biologist babe

I beg you 🥺🥺🥺💕

afjdsalfjsd so this is a New one that is more thought than words but basically @whollyjoly said something about biologist babe here and it melted my face off and i made this stuff SO FAST you would not believe. the muses were With Me. also asked by the wonderful @educationalporpoises :)

from this tag (ask) game :))

15. baberoe modern au; biologist babe

"These are gonna be the death of me, I'm telling you." Babe tells Eugene, trying as best he can to not stuff another beignet into his mouth. He brushes his hands together, trying to dislodge powdered sugar. "I think I've put on, like, a literal ton since I moved down here."

Eugene smiles at him, just the corner of his mouth crooking up. He takes a bite of his own pastry, with decidedly much more grace than Babe.

"If this is you with a ton put on, trust me, you needed that ton." He says, and as with everything he says, it makes Babe smile.

#rie answers #eight sentences is five sentences now btw. that's just how the world works #also this says Nothing about biologist babe and for that i am Sorry. i was just like hm. Sugar #also this fic has become Very close to my heart in a Very short time so i thank em for that IMMENSLY because oh my god that's my Home #ANYWAYS #baberoe

[stuck-in-the-ghost-zone]

what kind of cratures do you think the trigun gang would be?

CREATURES IN GENERAL OR SEA CREATURES. BECAUSE MY FRIEND MONTY N I WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT TRIGUN FURSONAS THE OTHER DAY. but i am the sea creature guy at heart so im gonns give u those i hope that is ok 😌 there are many benefits to being a marine biologist.

Vash: he is... so very shark coded to me. everyone looks at him and sees a dangerous killing machine. frequently covered in scars. do u see the connection here. he is specifically a thresher shark to me because of the whole sharpshooter thing and also the sad sad puppydog eyes 💙

Wolfwood: i am torn between two different types of eels for him. giant morays are more aesthetically pleasing but personally i have to go with a wolf eel both for the name and because ive worked with these guys before and theyre sooooo cool so im biased

Meryl: not technically a sea creature because she is just so bird coded to me. White-Tailed Tropicbird

Milly: is it cheating to have two cephalopods on this list. because i think i really want to say giant pacific octopus for milly. either that or a whale shark 💙 yes those are two completely different animals no i will not be taking criticism at this time

bonus Knives because i love him and i feel the most strongly about this one:

BOBTAIL SQUID.

... and also a bristle worm . for what i hope are obvious reasons

#NORMALLY THOUGH meryl is an egyptian plover #shes sooooo so very much an egyptian plover. hold on i made a post about that the other day ill reblog it again for u :] hehe #i worked at an aquarium last year and every time we would pull a bristleworm out of one of our tanks id be like ohhh my god its knives..... #i love every opportunity to push my sea creature knives agenda. hes so sea creature to me. hes so marine biologist to me. #OH MY GOD ALSO LIVIO. LIVIO IS A GOLIATH GROUPER TO ME . <3 #side note also . have you ever seen that picture of a hermit crab using a human skull as a shell #(<< the image is fake its photoshopped BUT) #thats legato. to me. except with a blueleg hermit crab. he is a blue leg hermit crab with a human skull for a shell #which is bullshit because i dont think legato deserves something that cool but alas it is unfortunately perfect for him #(<< this is /j i think legato is a cool and interesting character #i just think he has a punchable face and like 2 pretend i hate his guts cause its funny) #HI !!!! THANK U FOR GIVI G ME AN EXCUSE TO TALK ABT SEA CREATURES ILY <3333 #asks #madnessmadness #sorry if u meant like... actual land creatures. unfortunately i am the fish guy forever <3 #YES I REALIZE VASH AND KNIVES ARE TWO TOTALLY DIFFERENT CREATURES AND THAT MAKES NO SENSE BC THEYRE TWINS #BUT LIKE. I FEEL SO STRONGLY ABOUT BOTH OF THOSE THINGS #i could be persuaded to make knives a shark if needed bc there are so many cool shark species i could assign to him #but like. hes just soooo bobtail squid coded to me ive been saying that since i first saw his fuckin. snuggie in tristamp

[sprachgefuehle]

omg hell yeah Piranesi 5 stars!! yay!

YESSS!!!!! I didn't know anything about the book beforehand so it took me completely by suprise. I love Piranesi as a main character so much and I am also obsessing over how it takes many ingredients that I love in a story (e.g. "the house is alive") but instead of having it be a horror story it's...very blissfull actually?

I also read somewhere that Susanne Clarke loves going on long walks and tried to experience that via Piranesi when she struggling with chronic fatigue and I can really relate to that. So yes, 5 stars!!!!!! I loved it a lot!!!!

#I also have a lot of thoughts about how piranesi and the biologist from the southern reach trilogy have so many similarities #and also are complete opposites #don't get me started #btw that ask refers to my storygraph review #I am also notgreengardens on there in case anyone wants to be friends there #thanks for the ask! #fluencylevelfrench #ask #piranesi

[nagihonos]

i looooove to make a little au where all of the characters of x piece of media work at an aquarium

#futari wa precure aquarium au here we go #yeah yeah maybe i just want nagisa to work w penguins okay. maybe vet tech student hikari is special to me #honoka works as a conservation biologist but also in the vet so nagisas always like honokaaaaaaaaa i think this penguin is sick 🥺 #and theyre always fine but thats okay because she gets 10 minutes w honoka 👍🏼 who cares if she spends her lunch breaks there too #gift shop manager shiho and fellow penguin trainer rina are concocting a plan to get them together #they have roped tour guide kimata into it #help me i am thinking thoughts i judt love me an aquarium au idk what it is theyre just so fun

[creakysocks]

This is Dr. Vivian Lou! She's my funky little pacific rim oc who works in j-tech and basically specializes in emergencies,,,

she may or may not been in an accident involved with kaiju innards and got some bioluminecent scars out of it (as well as migraines)

#My ocs #artings #Vivian Lou #pacific rim oc #btw i dont speak cantonese but she does so hopefully I translated that correctly #ANYWAYS just I am very normal abt her #shes also work-besties w tendo #but in the way where you and your friend just talk like sports commentators whenever something happens #also shes got a marine biologist girlfriend <3 #pacific rim #comic

[unopenablebox]

i’m fascinated by how many people i follow have weird caveats about the “is fish meat” thing even though the poll results are so strongly in favor of ‘yes’

#i get it for my kosher mutuals tho i cannot myself experience kashrut as tho it defines natural categories #i'm also perfectly content with a world in which culinary categories are distinct from and orthogonal to biological categories #that's only sensible #nonetheless it is only through great strain that i can attempt to occupy a 'fish isn't meat' worldview myself. no matter how caveated. #i think this falls into the category of ''posts i make just to prove to myself that i am not longer surrounded by bullies who will #passive-agressively verbally abuse me if i indicate that i think scientific empiricism is one of or the best tool for interpreting reality'' #in case you're trying to figure out why i am bothering to say any of this at all. that's my best guess. #box opener #to be clear i don't think anyone who argues 'fish isn't [culinary] meat' is having an empirical problem. im just tissue biologist brained.

[sincerecinnamon]

I love punnett squares, dude

They aren't entirely accurate due to the intricacies of biology and alleles and incomplete dominance, but the intricacies make it even more fun! So many possibilities! So many neat little details!

I love biology so much

#it also makes it so nice that one of my favorite members of my favorite bands is a biologist <3 #Ross Federman and I both love biology and drumming and he was in marching band like I am and wofnoednosdb /pos #plus punnett squares are so fun to do too especially in sequences going from one person to their potential offspring and on with generation