Sperm shouldn't use cell phones.

Many have voiced concern about the effects that electromagnetic radiation, emitted by cell phones, may have on cell phone users. A substantial amount of research has been devoted to studying these effects, which appear to quite real (e.g., it is now recommended that cell phone use be limited for children). Some of those studies have examined the effects of cell phone use on sperm. It appears that cell phone use has an adverse effect on sperm:

Gutschi, T., Mohamad Al-Ali, B., Shamloul, R., Pummer, K. and Trummer, H. (2011), Impact of cell phone use on men’s semen parameters. Andrologia, 43(5), 312–316.

The objective of the present retrospective study was to report our experience concerning the effects of cell phone usage on semen parameters. We examined 2110 men attending our infertility clinic from 1993 to October 2007. Semen analysis was performed in all patients. Serum free testosterone (T), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinising hormone (LH) and prolactin (PRL) were collected from all patients. The information on cell phone use of the patients was recorded and the subjects were divided into two groups according to their cell phone use: group A: cell phone use (n = 991); group B: no use (n = 1119). Significant difference was observed in sperm morphology between the two groups. In the patients of group A, 68.0% of the spermatozoa featured a pathological morphology compared to only 58.1% in the subjects of group B. Patients with cell phone usage showed significantly higher T and lower LH levels than those who did not use cell phone. No significant difference between the two groups was observed regarding FSH and PRL values. Our results showed that cell phone use negatively affects sperm quality in men. Further studies with a careful design are needed to determine the effect of cell phone use on male fertility.

La Vignera, S., Condorelli,R., Vicari, E., D'Agata, R., and Calogero, A. (2011). Effects of the exposure to mobile phones on male reproduction: A review of the literature. Journal of Andrology, DOI:10.2164/jandrol.111.014373.

The use of mobile phones is now widespread. A great debate is going on about the possible damage that the radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation (RF-EMR) emitted by mobile phones exerts on different organs and apparatuses. Aim of this article was to review the existing literature exploring the effects of RF-EMR on the male reproductive function in experimental animals and human beings. Studies on the experimental animals have been conducted in rats, mice, and rabbits using a similar design based upon mobile phone radiofrequency exposure for a variable length of time. Altogether the results of these studies show that RF-EMR decreases sperm count and motility, and increases the oxidative stress. In human beings, two different experimental approaches have been followed, one has explored the effects of RF-EMR directly on spermatozoa and the other has evaluated the sperm parameters in men using or not mobile phones. The results show that human spermatozoa exposed to RF-EMR have decreased motility, morphometric abnormalities, and increased oxidative stress, whereas men using mobile phones have decreased sperm concentration, motility (particularly the rapid progressive one), normal morphology, and viability. These abnormalities seem to be directly related with the length of mobile phone use.

Thursday mail - October 6.

Have any questions or comments related to class or otherwise? If so, fire away.

Every Sperm is Sacred.

This is a musical number from the second act of Monty Python's "The Meaning of Life". Please keep in mind the Catholic who is singing the lead does not believe in contraception... and neither do his many, many children, who are singing the backup.

Bigger, Faster, Stronger.

In class, we discussed the profound effect that high concentrations of sex hormones can have on the body. Last week I posted some clips of bodybuilders who have used anabolic steroids (i.e., androgens) to help them put on massive amounts of muscle. Elizabeth sent along links (thanks!) for a documentary about the body building world, supplement and steroid use, and body image. I'm sure many of you have seen it, as it's been around for a while and has been quite successful, but for those of you that haven't:

Bigger Stronger Faster (2008) | Documentary, Sport In America, we define ourselves in the superlative: we are the biggest, strongest, fastest country in the world. Is it any wonder that so many of our heroes are on performance enhancing drugs?

As noted by a student from class in the comments for a previous post about bodybuilding and steroid use, the vast majority of people who lift weights and work out do NOT use steroids. He pointed out that there's a large community of competition bodybuilders who are all-natural, and participate in all-natural competitions.

Spring break loving may explain increased teen pregnancies.

teenpregnancy

From the CBC:

Teen pregnancy peak may coincide with March break.

Parents may want to recap discussions of the birds and the bees with their high school students prior to March break in light of new study results on teen pregnancies.

Researchers who conducted the study in the Kingston, Ont., area say they have found the relative likelihood of conceiving in the month of March is higher for school-aged adolescents than adults. If March break is driving an upswing in teen pregnancies then perhaps just before the vacation would be a good time for a proactive burst of family planning information, a researcher says.

"This adolescent pregnancy peak may be explained by biological reasons such as variations in fertility over the course of a calendar year, but it's also possible that this increased conception rate in March is because of spring break," Dr. Mary Anne Jamieson, study co-author and an associate professor in the departments of obstetrics and gynecology and pediatrics, said in a statement.

Read the rest of the article here.

Killer sperm.

 According to the killer (or kamikaze) sperm theory, men produce specialized sperm that will seek out and destroy competitor's sperm. So, if a woman has had sex with more than one men, killer sperm from each suitor will try to take out as many of his competitors' viable sperm, thus increasing the odds of him being the one who gets her pregnant.

Now, research has addressed this hypothesis:

No evidence for killer sperm or other selective interactions between human spermatozoa in ejaculates of different males in vitro Moore, H.D.M., Martin, M. and Birkhead, T.R. (1999)

This study examines one of the possible mechanisms of sperm competition, i.e. the kamikaze sperm hypothesis. This hypothesis states that sperm from different males interact to incapacitate each other in a variety of ways. We used ejaculates from human donors to compare mixes of semen in vitro from the same or different males. We measured the following parameters: (i) the degree of sperm aggregation, velocity and proportion of morphologically normal sperm after 1 and 3 h incubation in undiluted semen samples, (ii) the proportion of viable sperm plus the same parameters as in (i) in 'swim-up' sperm suspensions after 1 and 3 h incubation, (iii) the degree of self and non-self sperm aggregation using fluorescent dyes to distinguish the sperm of different males, and (iv) the extent of sperm capacitation and acrosome-reacted sperm in mixtures of sperm from the same and different males. We observed very few significant changes in sperm aggregation or performance in mixtures of sperm from different males compared with mixtures from the same male and none that were consistent with previously reported findings. The incapacitation of rival sperm therefore seems an unlikely mechanism of sperm competition in humans.

Download the paper here.

Australian passports now include option for third gender.

From the BBC:

New Australian passports allow third gender option.

Australians have been given a third choice when describing their gender on passport applications, under new guidelines aimed at removing discrimination.

Transgender people and those of ambiguous sex will be able to list their gender as indeterminate, which will be shown on passports as an X.

People whose gender was different from that of their birth were previously required to have reassignment surgery before they could change their passport to their preferred sex.

An Australian senator, Louise Pratt - whose partner was born female and is now identified as a man - said the reform was a huge step forward.

"There have been very many cases of people being detained at airports by immigration in foreign countries simply because their passports don't reflect what they look like," she told Australian radio.

"It's very distressing, highly inconvenient and frankly sometimes dangerous."

Thursday mail - September 29.

Have any questions or comments related to class or otherwise? If so, fire away.

Unintentionally pervy.

From OMG Funny Pictures (and many from Fail Blog:

Many more here.

More PostSecrets.

Yummy.

From Environmental Graffiti:

Imagine every time you made love to your partner you were dicing with imminent death. It might make you wary of having sex ever again (if you survived, that is!) yet male praying mantises can never be sure they will survive the sex act. Sexual cannibalism is a natural phenomenon whereby one organism (generally the female) eats the other (typically the male) before, during or right after sex. This amazing sequence of photographs shows a female praying mantis eating her lover – starting with this shot of Mrs Mantis munching on the male's leg. Looks like a nice appetizer!

What's crazy about the whole eating-her-partner aspect of preying mantis sex is that the act of eating him can actually makes him a better sex partner, at least from a reproductive point of view:

Once the head is bitten off, the male's movements become more active and energetic. This results in a more vigorous and, one would surmise, more abundant and perhaps deeper delivery of sperm.

See the other 9 spectacular photos of the female mantis gobbling her partner here.

And of course, what would this post be without some gratuitous mantis cannibalism porn:

after (and while) they mate, the female praying mantis devours the male.

The female orgasm.

Via Sex, Cigars and Booze (click to make larger):

Sources: kinseyinstitute.org drhill.com orgasmsurvey.com

An alternative explanation for penis shape.

Photo: Crocheted Penis Pillow, courtesy of Motives and Patterns, at Etsy.

Evolutionary biologists believe that the shape of the penis has an important adaptive function. They suggest that the corona acts as a plunger and scraper, removing sperm deposited by a previous reproductive partner.

An alternative, but somewhat similar, explanation has been proposed. Via Discover, and published in Archives of Sexual Behavior:

It has been proposed that the shape of the glans with its distinctive corona facilitates the scooping out of previously deposited semen, enabling the subsequent deposition of other genetic material. This is not a likely occurrence. The healthy vagina has a low pH to protect it from invading organisms. This intense acidity will kill all sperm not promptly reaching the safety of the cervical mucus. I suggest the evolutionary function of the glans and its corona is not to scoop out semen but vaginal secretions, which are then absorbed by the encompassing foreskin. The mucous membrane of the foreskin adjacent to the glans is highly absorbent, as evidenced by the increased susceptibility of the uncircumcised male to HIV. It has been suggested that there may be a glans protecting feature of the foreskin, but it is entirely possible that its primary function is to absorb behavior modifying chemical messengers from the female. Numerous studies have shown the vaginal mucosa to be secretory. In the primate rear-approach coital position, the corona rubs against the anatomically posterior wall of the vagina, the most dependent surface when the woman is standing, and therefore the place more likely to collect vaginal secretions. The deepest end of the posterior vagina is the cul de sac, which commonly contains a small amount of fluid. An analytical study of the vaginal secretions of an ovulating female for neuropeptides, such as pitocin and vasopressin, known to enhance pair bonding and protective behavior in the male, could be revealing. Sexual intercourse may be a medium of communication between humans older than language itself.

Full reference for the paper:

Edwin A. Bowman, E. A. (2010). An explanation for the shape of the human penis. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 39, 216.

Role play.

Via the SLOG: 

Scarlett has some specific fantasies. Director of Photography: Matt McBrayer Cast: Scarlett Bermingham Jeff Chan Stephanie Hsu Grant O'Brien Special Thanks: Red Productions

Penis slide?

There really is something quite wrong with what is happening here.

Hysteria.

Trailer for the upcoming movie: 

Hysteria Trailer. Discover the birth of the first sex toy with this romantic comedy based on the truth of how Mortimer Granville devised the invention of the first vibrator in the name of medical science ! Hysteria Trailer. The movie, directed by Tanya Wexler and starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, Hugh Dancy, Jonathan Pryce and Rupert Everett opens may 18th 2012.

Thursday mail - September 22.

Have any questions or comments related to class or otherwise? If so, fire away.

DADT officially dead.

On Tuesday, the US military, in response to repeal legislation passed by US Congress, officially rid itself of a long-standing policy preventing openly gay men and women from serving in military. The policy was called Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Previously, if someone was outed, he/she would be given the boot. Now, men and women can serve in the military as openly gay. This is an absolutely massive victory for gay rights. This video was posted on Tuesday, and already has over 2,000,000 hits. I dare you to watch it and not get a little choked up:

South Korea's Haeshindang Park.

Based on a legend - This Penis Park in South Korea is totally legit. The locals even love it. Haeshindang Park is located in the eastern coast of South Korea.

Vulva Original.

From the website:

The vaginal scent of a beautiful woman - VULVA Original is NOT a perfume. It is the feminine, erotic, intimate scent for your own smelling pleasure. The NEW scent filled into an exclusive glass phial with a comfortable roll-on applicator with more content of that precious, organic substance.

Our greatest challenge was to preserve the intimate scent without altering the essence thereof. After many year of extensive testing and an especially developed preservation procedure, we have succeeded in capturing the sought-after organic vaginal scent with a long lasting effect.

The phial is shaken gently. Only a tiny amount of the slightly yellow, desirable substance is applied onto the back of the hand...and the irresistible smell that exudes from a sensuous vagina immediately intensifies your erotic fantasies and starts the film rolling in your head. Breathe in and enjoy, anytime, anywhere, the intimate smell of an irresistible woman.

The website is here (NSFW).

And an ad:

The erotic vaginal scent of a desirable woman Click to smell: http://www.smellmeand.com.