a thought exercise

[kodalai]

So here's a puzzle for you: What if demales were childbearing?

As everybody knows, the human race has three fertile sexes, each genetically coded by chromosomes. XY, males, XX, females, and XZ, demales. Females are of course the only one of the three capable of childbearing, but both males and demales are progenitors. Females and demales can have children that are either female or demale, and females and males can have children that are either male or female, but at the moment there's no option that produces either male or demale children.

So what I'm wondering is, what if demales were not only fertile, but actively hermaphroditic? What if they could have children as well as engender them?

Of course they could still have female or demale children with females, but then they could also bear the children of males, who would naturally be either male or demale. But there's a complication.

Since males are XY, and demales are XZ, there are a whole bunch of gender options for their children. Not only could they have XY male children, and XZ demale children, but also XX female children, and also YZ children, who of course could not be viable!

If not for the nonviable YZ option, then male-demale couplings would be the ideal for producing maximum range of genetic variety. But as it is, a good one-quarter of fertilizations would never have a chance to make it to full term, so from a biological standpoint, it would be wasteful.

Also, if demales were capable of both engendering and bearing children, then they could have children by each other, who would be either female XX, demale XZ, or urmale ZZ. And that would just be bizarre.

So I guess it's just as well that demales aren't capable of carrying. Three genders is plenty for any species.

Comments

[catzero.livejournal.com]

Its been YEARS since I've seen chromosome coding like that. I used to do it in school all the time for fun when I was in school.

This post brings back memories.

[darksea.livejournal.com]

The same goes for males, of course. I think the real thing is that the female body is the base, and it would be confusing to have two of those.


Ah well. The guys and gies may gang up on us occasionally, but we all know what third of the population really rules, don't we? ^_~

[kodalai.livejournal.com]

*nod* We know who really wears the splorts around here.

[ayelle.livejournal.com]

Didn't you hear? There's some new scientific research that suggests that male-demale reproduction might actually be possible... I heard they actually did it with demale mice.

Unfortunately the babies had heads at both ends.