I am a biologist and I have worked and published, 5Oyrs ago, a paoer which provides evidence, in rats, at least, to refute all of Dawkins' claims. For a non-biologist, Piper has done a fantastic job here.
I have never liked Dawkins. When forced to read one of his books for a class, I spent a substantial amount of time making margin notes regarding various logical fallacies I noted.
Just wow! This is a very handy encapsulation of much information. Thank you.
I know you are not a biologist, but could you do something similar with evidence regarding gender development? I know I have read articles here and there relating to the effect of hormones at different stages of intrauterine development and how physical characteristics develop as a different time from other bits (sorry that’s a bit incoherent)
I realised this is off-topic and maybe not your territory at all. However, your ability to put things in one place with documented references is fabulous.
Thanks so much - I really appreciate that. You are right, there is a lot of research on how different parts of sex and gender develop in the womb, and it does not all happen at the same time. That complexity is exactly why variation exists.
Rather than cram it all in here, I think it deserves its own piece. I will pull something together that brings the evidence into one place with clear references, the same way I did above, when I get chance.
I seem to remember reading about a hypothesis that being transgender is an intersex condition of the brain caused by a deviation during the second testosterone surge during pregnancy.
The article that I think I got it from has been stubbed due to harassment, so I can't check anymore.
Yes, you are remembering a real line of research. Scientists have looked at how different “surges” of testosterone in the womb affect development. Chromosomes set the blueprint, but hormones drive how gonads, genitals, and parts of the brain develop - and they do not all happen at the same time.
Some studies suggest that if one surge of testosterone is atypical - for example in timing or effect - you can end up with a body that develops one way and brain structures that lean another way. That is one of the leading biological explanations for why trans people exist.
The research is ongoing, but it is not fringe - it is taken seriously in endocrinology and neuroscience. A classic reference is Zhou et al. (1995) who found differences in a brain region called the BSTc in trans women, and later work by Bao & Swaab (2011) has expanded on hormone effects in utero.
I will be writing more about this properly with references soon - it deserves its own piece.
It’s always good to read such well thought out data like this. Piper always has all the facts right. And I hear on the grapevine that Dawkins smells just a little bit. And he’s an awful person.
![[citation needed]](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_O_L!,w_80,h_80,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F42798cea-a8c2-4a38-9e58-0dbb4761528a_1080x1080.png)
I am a biologist and I have worked and published, 5Oyrs ago, a paoer which provides evidence, in rats, at least, to refute all of Dawkins' claims. For a non-biologist, Piper has done a fantastic job here.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/77239
I have never liked Dawkins. When forced to read one of his books for a class, I spent a substantial amount of time making margin notes regarding various logical fallacies I noted.
Just wow! This is a very handy encapsulation of much information. Thank you.
I know you are not a biologist, but could you do something similar with evidence regarding gender development? I know I have read articles here and there relating to the effect of hormones at different stages of intrauterine development and how physical characteristics develop as a different time from other bits (sorry that’s a bit incoherent)
I realised this is off-topic and maybe not your territory at all. However, your ability to put things in one place with documented references is fabulous.
Thanks so much - I really appreciate that. You are right, there is a lot of research on how different parts of sex and gender develop in the womb, and it does not all happen at the same time. That complexity is exactly why variation exists.
Rather than cram it all in here, I think it deserves its own piece. I will pull something together that brings the evidence into one place with clear references, the same way I did above, when I get chance.
Perfect
I seem to remember reading about a hypothesis that being transgender is an intersex condition of the brain caused by a deviation during the second testosterone surge during pregnancy.
The article that I think I got it from has been stubbed due to harassment, so I can't check anymore.
Yes, you are remembering a real line of research. Scientists have looked at how different “surges” of testosterone in the womb affect development. Chromosomes set the blueprint, but hormones drive how gonads, genitals, and parts of the brain develop - and they do not all happen at the same time.
Some studies suggest that if one surge of testosterone is atypical - for example in timing or effect - you can end up with a body that develops one way and brain structures that lean another way. That is one of the leading biological explanations for why trans people exist.
The research is ongoing, but it is not fringe - it is taken seriously in endocrinology and neuroscience. A classic reference is Zhou et al. (1995) who found differences in a brain region called the BSTc in trans women, and later work by Bao & Swaab (2011) has expanded on hormone effects in utero.
I will be writing more about this properly with references soon - it deserves its own piece.
It’s always good to read such well thought out data like this. Piper always has all the facts right. And I hear on the grapevine that Dawkins smells just a little bit. And he’s an awful person.