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Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
Friday, June 24, 2022
Tuesday, June 21, 2022
Born female, but with male genes
Newly edited so as to avoid confusion between the notions 'trans-sexual' and 'androgen resistance'
When examined at the cell level, people are either male (an X chromosome and a Y chromosome), female (an X and an X) or in some cases show signs of mixed sex.
A small subset of people are born with maleness chromosomes but in the womb the malenes mechanism shuts down and these people grow up to look like and to subjectively feel like females. In their minds, they are women. Their sexual organs are usually insufficient for natural childbirth.
Thus, if neither men nor women can identify an XY person born with androgen resistance as different from female, how can such persons not be female? These persons are not and never were “trans-sexual.” A few androgen-resistant persons may need to undergo reconstructive surgery of sex organs once abnormalities are spotted, normally during or after puberty. But even if there is no obvious external difference, lack of menstruation generally tips doctors off that the individual might be an “XY female.”
One study reported, "Despite the fact that children with partial androgen effects reared as girls showed increased 'boyish' behaviors, they did not show increased signs of gender identity confusion or instability on a group level." That is, as far as they and their friends were concerned, they were female.
It has also been reported that XY persons, though feminine, tend to problem-solve like a male.
Then there are those XY people who regard themselves as male but who display signs of dysfunctional testosterone take-up before birth. Such androgen effects can range from rather mild to severe. Yet, in their minds they are male and it is often the case that these androgen-deficient males are never diagnosed with this disorder.
So the social point of contention is: Can XY persons who are born without androgen deficiency (commonly called trans-sexual, going from clearly male to female) be classed as female based solely on psychological factors? Suppose an XY person receives estrogen therapy, which suppresses testosterone and promotes female traits?
Is the transition sufficient for general acceptance by men and women that the person is "truly female"? Such persons don't seem to lose their masculine traits altogether. Deep voices and superior athletic strength are often found among such persons.
Related questions:
If an XX person believes she/he is male, or ought to be, is "belief" a sufficient criterion? And what of the XX person who receives testosterone therapy? That therapy is a treatment that induces typically masculine physical traits while suppressing typically feminine ones (commonly referred to as trans-sexual, from “female” to male”). We know that XY women with androgen deficiency are generally accepted as women by both women and men, but the same cannot be generally said of XX persons with testosterone-induced traits.
I have not attempted to judge, rationalize or justify the desire of LGBTQ persons for social legitimation. The point, rather, is to look at issues from a genetic perspective and not from a psychological perspective.
And absolutely we should beware decertifying a whole class of women whose mother’s body changed them from boy to girl in the womb.
A few XXY cases with a female phenotype have been reported. These individuals have positive SRY (testis-determining factor). The genetic explanation of this phenomenon is unclear.
A small subset of people are born with maleness chromosomes but in the womb the malenes mechanism shuts down and these people grow up to look like and to subjectively feel like females. In their minds, they are women. Their sexual organs are usually insufficient for natural childbirth.
Thus, if neither men nor women can identify an XY person born with androgen resistance as different from female, how can such persons not be female? These persons are not and never were “trans-sexual.” A few androgen-resistant persons may need to undergo reconstructive surgery of sex organs once abnormalities are spotted, normally during or after puberty. But even if there is no obvious external difference, lack of menstruation generally tips doctors off that the individual might be an “XY female.”
One study reported, "Despite the fact that children with partial androgen effects reared as girls showed increased 'boyish' behaviors, they did not show increased signs of gender identity confusion or instability on a group level." That is, as far as they and their friends were concerned, they were female.
It has also been reported that XY persons, though feminine, tend to problem-solve like a male.
Then there are those XY people who regard themselves as male but who display signs of dysfunctional testosterone take-up before birth. Such androgen effects can range from rather mild to severe. Yet, in their minds they are male and it is often the case that these androgen-deficient males are never diagnosed with this disorder.
So the social point of contention is: Can XY persons who are born without androgen deficiency (commonly called trans-sexual, going from clearly male to female) be classed as female based solely on psychological factors? Suppose an XY person receives estrogen therapy, which suppresses testosterone and promotes female traits?
Is the transition sufficient for general acceptance by men and women that the person is "truly female"? Such persons don't seem to lose their masculine traits altogether. Deep voices and superior athletic strength are often found among such persons.
Related questions:
If an XX person believes she/he is male, or ought to be, is "belief" a sufficient criterion? And what of the XX person who receives testosterone therapy? That therapy is a treatment that induces typically masculine physical traits while suppressing typically feminine ones (commonly referred to as trans-sexual, from “female” to male”). We know that XY women with androgen deficiency are generally accepted as women by both women and men, but the same cannot be generally said of XX persons with testosterone-induced traits.
I have not attempted to judge, rationalize or justify the desire of LGBTQ persons for social legitimation. The point, rather, is to look at issues from a genetic perspective and not from a psychological perspective.
And absolutely we should beware decertifying a whole class of women whose mother’s body changed them from boy to girl in the womb.
From various reputable sources:++++++
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17306800/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4350266/
https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/androgen-insensitivity-syndrome/#resources
https://novonordiskfonden.dk/en/news/more-women-than-expected-are-genetically-men/
https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/klinefelter-syndrome/
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/ftm-testosterone#why-a-person-has-it
Androgen insensitivity syndrome is a condition that affects sexual development before birth and during puberty. People with this condition are genetically male, with one X chromosome and one Y chromosome in each cell. Because their bodies are unable to respond to certain male sex hormones (called androgens), they may have mostly female external sex characteristics or signs of both male and female sexual development.
Complete androgen insensitivity syndrome occurs when the body cannot use androgens at all. People with this form of the condition have the external sex characteristics of females, but do not have a uterus and therefore do not menstruate and are unable to conceive a child (infertile). They are typically raised as females and have a female gender identity. Affected individuals have male internal sex organs (testes) that are undescended, which means they are abnormally located in the pelvis or abdomen. Undescended testes have a small chance of becoming cancerous later in life if they are not surgically removed. People with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome also have sparse or absent hair in the pubic area and under the arms.
The partial and mild forms of androgen insensitivity syndrome result when the body's tissues are partially sensitive to the effects of androgens. People with partial androgen insensitivity (also called Reifenstein syndrome) can have genitalia that look typically female, genitalia that have both male and female characteristics, or genitalia that look typically male. They may be raised as males or as females and may have a male or a female gender identity. People with mild androgen insensitivity are born with male sex characteristics, but they are often infertile and tend to experience breast enlargement at puberty.
Frequency
Complete androgen insensitivity syndrome affects 2 to 5 per 100,000 people who are genetically male. Partial androgen insensitivity is thought to be at least as common as complete androgen insensitivity. Mild androgen insensitivity is much less common.
Causes
Mutations in the AR gene cause androgen insensitivity syndrome. This gene provides instructions for making a protein called an androgen receptor. Androgen receptors allow cells to respond to androgens, which are hormones (such as testosterone) that direct male sexual development. Androgens and androgen receptors also have other important functions in both males and females, such as regulating hair growth and sex drive. Mutations in the AR gene prevent androgen receptors from working properly, which makes cells less responsive to androgens or prevents cells from using these hormones at all. Depending on the level of androgen insensitivity, an affected person's sex characteristics can vary from mostly female to mostly male.
Klinefelter syndrome (XXY)
Some boys are born with a girl's genes plus the male y gene: XXY. This chromosome structure can result in Klinefelter syndrome, which can affect physical and intellectual development. Most commonly, affected individuals are taller than average, are unable to father biological children (infertile) and score below average on mental development tests. But signs and symptoms vary. In some cases, the features are so mild that the condition is not diagnosed until puberty or adulthood, and researchers believe that up to 75 percent of affected men and boys are never diagnosed.
Boys and men with Klinefelter syndrome typically have small testes that produce a reduced amount of testosterone (primary testicular insufficiency). Testosterone is the hormone that directs male sexual development before birth and during puberty. Without treatment, the shortage of testosterone can lead to delayed or incomplete puberty, breast enlargement (gynecomastia), decreased muscle mass, decreased bone density, and a reduced amount of facial and body hair. As a result of the small testes and decreased hormone production, affected males are infertile but may benefit from assisted reproductive technologies. Some affected individuals also have differences in their genitalia, including undescended testes (cryptorchidism), the opening of the urethra on the underside of the penis (hypospadias), or an unusually small penis (micropenis).
Other physical changes associated with Klinefelter syndrome are usually subtle. Older children and adults with the condition tend to be somewhat taller than their peers. Other differences can include abnormal fusion of certain bones in the forearm (radioulnar synostosis), curved pinky fingers (fifth finger clinodactyly) and flat feet (pes planus).
Children with Klinefelter syndrome may have low muscle tone (hypotonia) and problems with coordination that may delay the development of motor skills, such as sitting, standing, and walking. Affected boys often have learning disabilities, resulting in mild delays in speech and language development and problems with reading. Boys and men with Klinefelter syndrome tend to have better receptive language skills (the ability to understand speech) than expressive language skills (vocabulary and the production of speech) and may have difficulty communicating and expressing themselves.
Individuals with Klinefelter syndrome tend to have anxiety, depression, impaired social skills, behavioral problems such as emotional immaturity and impulsivity, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and limited problem-solving skills (executive functioning). About 10 percent of boys and men with Klinefelter syndrome have autism spectrum disorder.
Nearly half of all men with Klinefelter syndrome develop metabolic syndrome, which is a group of conditions that include type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure (hypertension), increased belly fat, high levels of fats (lipids) such as cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood. Compared with unaffected men, adults with Klinefelter syndrome also have an increased risk of developing involuntary trembling (tremors), breast cancer (if gynecomastia develops), thinning and weakening of the bones (osteoporosis), and autoimmune disorders such as systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis. (Autoimmune disorders are a large group of conditions that occur when the immune system attacks the body's own tissues and organs.)
A few XXY cases with a female phenotype have been reported. These individuals have positive SRY (testis-determining factor). The genetic explanation of this phenomenon is unclear.
Friday, June 17, 2022
Thursday, June 16, 2022
Lost in space?
NASA scientists puzzled
by weird spacetime data
from far-flung Voyager craft
NASA reports that the Voyager I spacecraft now cruising through interstellar space is returning bizarre spacetime data and is, in effect, lost.
The craft is now 14.5 billion miles from Earth, so that NASA's commands, traveling at the speed of light, take almost a day to reach the probe. It takes another day for Voyager's automated response, sent from the mystery-laden interstellar medium, to reach Earth.
Readouts from the probe's steering system don't reflect what scientists deduce must actually be happening. The data show strings of zeroes, random numbers or the number 377 (which has 13 and 29 as its prime factors). None of these data are consistent with feedback that would say the probe's high-gain antenna is pointed toward Earth. Yet, because there is no detectable drop in the antenna's signal, it seems that it must nevertheless be pointing to Earth.
Further, all systems aboard the spacecraft seem to be operating normally.
But, there is no certainty that the antenna is still pointing to Earth, meaning it could be traveling in an unknown direction. Is there something in the interstellar medium that might boost the signal, even though it is pointing the wrong way? Probabilities would suggest that that is quite unlikely. If the craft has reversed direction, that reversal would eventually be detected because, presumably, the signal would become stronger.
The prevailing idea is that age-related diminishing power and wear and tear might have something to do with the telemetry data going awry, but there is no particular process that has become a suspect. That is, no plausible scenario has emerged as to what might be going on.
Few would expect that spacetime outside the solar system would be significantly different from the spacetime within the Sun's system, though a free-floating black hole could yield confusing effects. Einstein's general theory of relativity is thought to apply uniformly throughout the cosmos.
Yet, once Voyager crossed the heliosphere -- the barrier at the outer limits of the solar system where solar winds pile up into a fiercely hot, but attenuated, plasma -- it entered the Deep Unknown. There have been numerous apparent spacetime anomalies that show up when interstellar space is viewed from Earth. Yet, even so, most scientists believe general relativity always applies, though a few are suspicious of that assumption.
NASA statement
The craft is now 14.5 billion miles from Earth, so that NASA's commands, traveling at the speed of light, take almost a day to reach the probe. It takes another day for Voyager's automated response, sent from the mystery-laden interstellar medium, to reach Earth.
Readouts from the probe's steering system don't reflect what scientists deduce must actually be happening. The data show strings of zeroes, random numbers or the number 377 (which has 13 and 29 as its prime factors). None of these data are consistent with feedback that would say the probe's high-gain antenna is pointed toward Earth. Yet, because there is no detectable drop in the antenna's signal, it seems that it must nevertheless be pointing to Earth.
Further, all systems aboard the spacecraft seem to be operating normally.
But, there is no certainty that the antenna is still pointing to Earth, meaning it could be traveling in an unknown direction. Is there something in the interstellar medium that might boost the signal, even though it is pointing the wrong way? Probabilities would suggest that that is quite unlikely. If the craft has reversed direction, that reversal would eventually be detected because, presumably, the signal would become stronger.
The prevailing idea is that age-related diminishing power and wear and tear might have something to do with the telemetry data going awry, but there is no particular process that has become a suspect. That is, no plausible scenario has emerged as to what might be going on.
Few would expect that spacetime outside the solar system would be significantly different from the spacetime within the Sun's system, though a free-floating black hole could yield confusing effects. Einstein's general theory of relativity is thought to apply uniformly throughout the cosmos.
Yet, once Voyager crossed the heliosphere -- the barrier at the outer limits of the solar system where solar winds pile up into a fiercely hot, but attenuated, plasma -- it entered the Deep Unknown. There have been numerous apparent spacetime anomalies that show up when interstellar space is viewed from Earth. Yet, even so, most scientists believe general relativity always applies, though a few are suspicious of that assumption.
NASA statement
While the spacecraft continues to return science data and otherwise operate as normal, the mission team is searching for the source of a system data issue.
The engineering team with NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft is trying to solve a mystery: The interstellar explorer is operating normally, receiving and executing commands from Earth, along with gathering and returning science data. But readouts from the probe’s attitude articulation and control system (AACS) don’t reflect what’s actually happening onboard.
The AACS controls the 45-year-old spacecraft’s orientation. Among other tasks, it keeps Voyager 1’s high-gain antenna pointed precisely at Earth, enabling it to send data home. All signs suggest the AACS is still working, but the telemetry data it’s returning is invalid. For instance, the data may appear to be randomly generated, or does not reflect any possible state the AACS could be in.
PROBE FINDS NO FAULT
The issue hasn’t triggered any onboard fault protection systems, which are designed to put the spacecraft into “safe mode” – a state where only essential operations are carried out, giving engineers time to diagnose an issue. Voyager 1’s signal hasn’t weakened, either, which suggests the high-gain antenna remains in its prescribed orientation with Earth.
The team will continue to monitor the signal closely as they continue to determine whether the invalid data is coming directly from the AACS or another system involved in producing and sending telemetry data. Until the nature of the issue is better understood, the team cannot anticipate whether this might affect how long the spacecraft can collect and transmit science data.
Voyager 1 is currently 14.5 billion miles (23.3 billion kilometers) from Earth, and it takes light 20 hours and 33 minutes to travel that difference. That means it takes roughly two days to send a message to Voyager 1 and get a response – a delay the mission team is well accustomed to. “A mystery like this is sort of par for the course at this stage of the Voyager mission,” said Suzanne Dodd, project manager for Voyager 1 and 2 at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “The spacecraft are both almost 45 years old, which is far beyond what the mission planners anticipated. We’re also in interstellar space – a high-radiation environment that no spacecraft have flown in before. So there are some big challenges for the engineering team. But I think if there’s a way to solve this issue with the AACS, our team will find it.”
JUST GET USED TO IT?
It’s possible the team may not find the source of the anomaly and will instead adapt to it, Dodd said. If they do find the source, they may be able to solve the issue through software changes or potentially by using one of the spacecraft’s redundant hardware systems.
It wouldn’t be the first time the Voyager team has relied on backup hardware: In 2017, Voyager 1’s primary thrusters showed signs of degradation, so engineers switched to another set of thrusters that had originally been used during the spacecraft’s planetary encounters. Those thrusters worked, despite having been unused for 37 years.
Voyager 1’s twin, Voyager 2 (currently 12.1 billion miles, or 19.5 billion kilometers, from Earth), continues to operate normally.
Launched in 1977, both Voyagers have operated far longer than mission planners expected, and are the only spacecraft to collect data in interstellar space. The information they provide from this region has helped drive a deeper understanding of the heliosphere, the diffuse barrier the Sun creates around the planets in our solar system.
WEAKENING STRENGTH
Each spacecraft produces about 4 fewer watts of electrical power a year, limiting the number of systems the craft can run. The mission engineering team has switched off various subsystems and heaters in order to reserve power for science instruments and critical systems. No science instruments have been turned off yet as a result of the diminishing power, and the Voyager team is working to keep the two spacecraft operating and returning unique science beyond 2025.
While the engineers continue to work at solving the mystery that Voyager 1 has presented them, the mission’s scientists will continue to make the most of the data coming down from the spacecraft’s unique vantage point.
The Voyager spacecraft were built by JPL, which continues to operate both. JPL is a division of Caltech in Pasadena. The Voyager missions are a part of the NASA Heliophysics System Observatory, sponsored by the Heliophysics Division of the Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
Sunday, June 12, 2022
Style note
The best way to edit copy is to see whether it reads OK. If the editor stumbles -- even a bit -- then a change is probably in order.
Editors who are overly fussy about grammar seem not to realize that English is made for the reader and not the reader for English.
The grammar police know the rules, but how do those rules apply?
Take this example. Is it
So, theoretically, both cases are correct.
Now consider someone at your door, calling out, "It is me!" But you've been taught that "It is I !" is correct.
In case i, me is a passive object, not an actor. But case ii may be correct on ground that the speaker is abbreviating "It is I speaking," in which case I is indeed one who performs an action.
Editors who are overly fussy about grammar seem not to realize that English is made for the reader and not the reader for English.
The grammar police know the rules, but how do those rules apply?
Take this example. Is it
i. She is five years younger than him.Case i is usually taken as correct on ground that him refers to a passive, non-actor. But let's remember that implied paralellism is routine in English. What if the writer meant,
or
ii. She is five years younger than he
She is five years younger than he is.He then implies "action" in the sense of ongoing existence of the male with some quality (age).
So, theoretically, both cases are correct.
Now consider someone at your door, calling out, "It is me!" But you've been taught that "It is I !" is correct.
In case i, me is a passive object, not an actor. But case ii may be correct on ground that the speaker is abbreviating "It is I speaking," in which case I is indeed one who performs an action.
Friday, June 10, 2022
Betting on Nashville
The Petersens are readying their first Nashville album.
Expect some creative mixing: they're recording fans for a bit of their Amazing Grace cut. (I don't care for the whole concept of auto-tune, but here's a case that may well call for it. !:-D )
Well that's cooler than simply multi-tracking bandmate voices in order to bulk up the choral sound -- tho I have no idea whether that's also in the cards.
Wonder what else they've been up to.
Expect some creative mixing: they're recording fans for a bit of their Amazing Grace cut. (I don't care for the whole concept of auto-tune, but here's a case that may well call for it. !:-D )
Well that's cooler than simply multi-tracking bandmate voices in order to bulk up the choral sound -- tho I have no idea whether that's also in the cards.
Wonder what else they've been up to.
Friday, June 3, 2022
Entertainment News
Ozark Mountain Home, a Petersen's original
Another one from the Petersens. A fine original. Enjoy!
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