According to this article, women absorb and retain DNA from every man they've had sex with. I find this fascinating from the perspective of becoming one with another.
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DNA, women, and sex
- Thread starter aineo
- Start date
Okay, I looked at the link to the actual study. It doesn't seem to reference intercourse, only pregnancy. Is that a conclusion drawn by the author of the article you posted, or buried deep within the study?
It is obviously the interpretation of the author of the study, though it is backed up with this statement:
"Through the study the researchers assumed that the most likely answer was that all male DNA found living in the female brain came from a male pregnancy. That was the safe, politically correct assumption. But these researchers were living in denial.
Because when they autopsied the brains of women who had never even been pregnant, let alone with a male child, they STILL found male DNA cells prevalent in the female brain."
The pubmed entry referenced should also be reviewed: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/16084184/. This states, "Male microchimerism was not infrequent in women without sons. Besides known pregnancies, other possible sources of male microchimerism include unrecognized spontaneous abortion, vanished male twin, an older brother transferred by the maternal circulation, or sexual intercourse."
I'm not discounting this, but we Christians can fall into assumption traps or look for corroboration of our beliefs in science, then deny science if it seems to contradict us.
I'm not a biologist, but are they saying that the haploid (sperm) cells are creating the chimera? Male sperm cells carry either X or Y chromosomes, but neither is technically male or female until the haploids from mother and father join creating a diploid (conception) and beginning of a pregnancy on day one.
Or, are they saying that male skin cells are transferred during intercourse into the woman? Those would be diploid male cells, but it seems that could happen with a kiss too.
I will try to read the research from nih tonight.
I'm not a biologist, but are they saying that the haploid (sperm) cells are creating the chimera? Male sperm cells carry either X or Y chromosomes, but neither is technically male or female until the haploids from mother and father join creating a diploid (conception) and beginning of a pregnancy on day one.
Or, are they saying that male skin cells are transferred during intercourse into the woman? Those would be diploid male cells, but it seems that could happen with a kiss too.
I will try to read the research from nih tonight.
Study states: "Male microchimerism was found in 21% of women overall."
Seems to me that more than 21% of women in any given population have had sex at least once.
"Further studies are needed to determine specific origins of male microchimerism in women."
Inconclusive causation.
Seems to me that more than 21% of women in any given population have had sex at least once.
"Further studies are needed to determine specific origins of male microchimerism in women."
Inconclusive causation.
I fear you may. Be reading much more into my motives than were the case. To be certain, I am not trying to corroborate my beliefs or deny science. The article popped up in my news feed, and I simply found it interesting and thought it was worth sharing.
Perhaps, but that is making the assumption that skin transfer happens the same with a kiss and intercourse. I would suggest two potential problems with this: First, different parts of the body are involved, one of which may allow this transfer and the other may not. Second, there is considerable more friction in one activity than the other.
Indeed, though the first study referenced gave a much higher number of 63%. Also, while more than 21% or 63% may have had sex in any given population, there are other factors that the study doesn't even begin to touch on such as condom use, birth control (perhaps it kills the make microchimerism before it enters the body), lubrication, or a host of other variables.
I don't think anyone is disputing this point, except perhaps the author of the article. As I said in my post previous to this one, sexual intercourse is one of the possible causes. No one can take that as factual with that language.
Like I said when I opened this post, I merely found the article interesting and worth sharing.
My apologies Aineo. I wasn't referencing you specifically with the warning about science. I've just seen too many Christians go down rabbit trails of certainty, then find out it was a dead end, all because clicking link after link, they found some fanciful stuff by a random ministry that preys on unsuspecting believers.
I too did find it interesting, very interesting, and that's why I jumped on reading the article, then the links, and then the studies. But the casual reader may not do the due diligence and seek the full information. Then, they walk away and tell their friends that without doubt, "having sex causes every man you've slept with to transfer his DNA into you for life!"
Again, apologies. I've only been logging on sporadically and doing drive by posts here and there. Didn't mean to offend.