Alice Roberts - what the hell?

[GenderApostate19]

I can’t tell you how utterly disappointed I feel by her comments about Sex and reproduction not being binary. She knows the truth, what the hell is she doing? I’m even more upset by her than by Sarah Champion, she’s a Scientist ffs.

Never heard of Alice Roberts before and now that I have I will forget her quickly.

So XXX syndrome is where females have an extra X chromosome, cant see anything about it being a separate and distinct sex category in humans.

Off to google XXY now...

Irridium
As you're a scientist, can you answer a couple of easy science questions?

1. How do humans reproduce?
2. Can people change sex?

XXY, also known as Klinefelters syndrome. Affects only males, again nothing about it being a separate and distinct sex category in humans 🤷‍♀️

umbel

I believe Clownfish have repeatedly asked not to be dragged into the debate, Alice.

Polo the clown fish likes publicity. He changed his sex too! I'm a great fan of his/hers.

www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2018/10/31/secret-life-zoo-review-japes-jeopardy-animals-treat-watch/

I'm a scientist.

You can tell, because I announce it when discussing the subject, rather than actually post correct and relevant information.

:)

S'lucky Piers Morgan didn't identify as a clownfish

I'm a scientist.

You've posted your stuff without thinking about the fundamental point. What you understand by "sex". Without understanding that you're going to post garbage.

I don't know where to start with that post. Probably best I just go to bed instead.

"I'm a scientist."
more like you identify as a scientist, if you ask me.

"There are more than two sexes. There are people who have two XX chromosomes and a Y. There are humans with three XXX"
Sex is the reproductive role within a species. For humans, there are two gametes required to form a new human. Two gametes, one from each parent human. Two gametes, two sexes. If you're genuinely going to spout nonsense claim there's more than two sexes in humans, you're going to need to identify those other gametes, and what role they play in creating a new human. I'll wait.

The two DSDs you mention:

"Triple X syndrome, also called trisomy X or 47,XXX, is characterized by the presence of an additional X chromosome in each of a female's cells. Although females with this condition may be taller than average, this chromosomal change typically causes no unusual physical features."
ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/triple-x-syndrome

Klinefelter syndrome : "As XXY males enter puberty, they may have a taller, less muscular body, less facial and body hair, and broader hips than other boys. ... XXY males can have normal sex lives, but they usually make little or no sperm and are infertile. The XXY chromosome pattern cannot be changed."
www.medicinenet.com/klinefelter_syndrome/article.htm

Both these descriptions were on the firsp page of results from a google search of "XXX chromosomes" and "XXY chromosomes".

You're quite rubbish at pulling the wool over people's etes, aren't you?

Or even,

You're quite rubbish at pulling the wool over people's eyes, aren't you?

My cousin has Klinefelters. Should I insist he's not a man, then?

Iridium. You seem unaware that many of us here on mumsnet are actually "scientists" ourselves. Many of us are, more precisely, biologists, geneticists, physiologists, medics etc. and many of us have been "doing science" for years as academics and researchers, and sometimes as professors. It is clear from your incoherent writing that you have never had a paper accepted by a reputable journal, and wouldn't know a xenologue from a xenopus.

dipstyque, of course your cousin is a man, it's just that some of his physiology is atypical. I doubt anyone who doesn't know would think there was anything unusual about him and he lives a normal life. The infertility is sad of course but lots of people are infertile for all sorts of reasons, they can still have a good life including a partner if they want.

If you can't get your head around that we live in a soup of genetic material then I suggest you google genetics of the human organism and see for yourself how right she is.

And yet for every single person on the planet it took one man and one lady to make us - XY and XX. Not a genetic soup, notwithstanding bacteria in the gut.

You need to get some more scientific training if you think that fact is contradicted by all the outliers you suggest are so important. There are only two sexes in human beings each producing one type of gamete. It's how human reproduction works, read up on it.

For example you can have many different types of genes within an organism... chimerism for example, or non human bacterial genes and RNA expressed - mitochondria are an example of this.

That's a bit like a "spot the odd one out list" except nothing quite fits together.

Never heard of Alice Roberts before and now that I have I will forget her quickly.

In all honesty, that's a shame. There are so few female academics who are comfortably ensconced in the public sphere (Mary Beard being one of the better-known ones, and just look at the misogynistic abuse she gets). Roberts has done fantastic, prolific and informative work in demystifying STEM subjects to a popular audience. Her programmes are illuminating and fun (the one about the human journey, albeit now obsolete, was like a fascinating travelogue as well as a story of human evolution). She's undeniably multi-talented, and I love her artwork. And she's putting over a great message that yes, of course science is for everyone (including girls).

I would still rate her. That's not to say I'm going to agree with her every word, and it's very unfortunate that she's become quite strident of late about her own views, and very sanctimonious as well as oddly obstructive when arguing her case. Those things rarely make for popularity. Perhaps the combination of accessibility granted by social media, or the prestigious first Professorial chair based exclusively on for impact that I've heard of (I'm willing to be corrected on this) show up what was always already there, but if so it's a shame.

I'll still watch her stuff, and appreciate her work. But watching Roberts argue her case on Twitter and Sarah Phillimore argue hers, there's no question in my mind as to who has the more persuasive, authoritative voice. Scientist or no scientist.

bluerussian I was responding to @irridiumflares who stated that there were more than two sexes and gave XXY as an example of non-male and non-female sex.

Which I think is offensive to xxy men.

I have Biology O Level Grade B

Can I be a "Scientist"?

Sorry dipstyque.

Show me the gametes.

... As someone wise on here once said.

Yep, spergs and speggs or go home.

Is a xenopus a foreign cat? El gato? La gata? Or ela gatoa for these modern times?