All humans start as the same raw brain in the first few weeks in the womb and express gender characteristics (chromosomal, gonadal, endocrine, morphological, genital and brain gender identity) based on a known blueprint of hormone baths over the next weeks and years.
This suggests that other kinds of humans could possibly be created, including other genders or specializations of genders, by administering other hormones, other doses of hormones or stimulating other brain areas. As testosterone shrinks the communications center and expands the fear and aggression center in the male brain, so could some other hormone influence other areas of the brain, stimulating olfactory centers, for example, to improve the perceptual survival capacities of space colony dwellers.
Many forms of hormone management are already in use and it is likely that the area will become much more understood, manipulable, acceptable and normal including such techniques as continuous menstrual suppression in females, testosterone suppression in males and in-body auto-regulators for a variety of medical purposes. Designer hormones would follow in lockstep with designer genes.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Why stop at two genders?
Posted by LaBlogga at 6:33 PM
Labels: designer hormones, gender, hormone management, managed reproduction
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4 comments:
Futanari! Woo-hoo!
Kevin, thanks for the reference, Joan Roughgarden's material looks really interesting. And thanks for mentioning Futanari, anonymous. Maybe gender and sexuality are better thought of in continuum rather than in boxes, especially as humans evolve away from reproductive-based sexuality.
gender is an interesting concept to start reengineering. That I think is particular hard for me to imagine through.
I wonder what degree gender is an evolutionary protection mechanism that prevents monopolization of a single self-reproducing species, especially in primates with well developed egos and aggression. So when we do away with that do we risk, people creating clone armies of themselves?
I'm sure you've seen the article on the Komodo Dragon that gave a virgin (yet not clone birth) so perhaps this isn't a big deal.
I live in WeHo (a very high percentage of gays and lesbians) and it's very interesting to see such a continuum of male female androgenous and some almost non-gendered traits.
Gender and Sexuality is so culturally entrenched, I fear socially what happens when people step outside the lines. It's hard enough being gay and lesbian in some parts of the country.
Fast forward 80 years:
Kindergarden Entry Form:
name: Elisonari
gender: gendermorph
mom: 300 spliced gene samples
dad: wikipedia ver 2024.01, embedded.
Troy.
Hi Troy,
Thank you for the detailed comment and inventive future Kindergarten entry.
Certainly sexual reproduction had an evolutionary advantage; however things will be different as we head into a post-biological reproductive era. What will it be like when we can spawn millions of electronic clones or public gene library remixes of ourselves?
It is precisely the point that an evolved society needs to get beyond being overly concerned and defining about sexuality and gender, particularly as what becomes possible really explodes.
The kind of Kindergarten required by a digital human new instance will be interesting to see.
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