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SO ENDS this first of two weekends looking at the issue of the enormous diversity of sex determination mechanisms in organisms. As ever, nature turns out to be very experimental and creative in this issue, and considerable biological capital is invested in this function. The coming weekend will offer a variety of hypotheses for why having different sexes is biologically important. View in LinkedIn

MALE STERILES. “Female flowers are generally smaller, and this reduction in size has been related to the lack of anthers and, more precisely, to the male hormones present in them. Male-steriles do not produce pollen and, due to reallocation of resources, they are expected to produce more seeds, which could explain their maintenance in a population.” https://lnkd.in/d4QE8Rq View in LinkedIn

GYNODIOECIOUS. “Females are actually hermaphrodites which have lost their male function, and they are referred to as male-steriles. This character is genetically determined, and females are similar to hermaphrodites in morphology with the exception of their flowers.” https://lnkd.in/d4QE8Rq View in LinkedIn

SOME PLANTS HAVE “the coexistence of females and hermaphrodites. Although females exist extensively among hermaphroditic plant species, they are present at a noticeable frequency in only a few species, which are termed gynodioecious.” https://lnkd.in/d4QE8Rq View in LinkedIn

RAY KURZWEIL of Google has been a brilliant provocateur, futurist, and transhumanist proponent. He has stimulated a vigorous discussion about brain uploading, and the future of human intelligence. Fresh air and pedants rarely mix well, except in the incendiary sense. Bring on the fireworks! View in LinkedIn

MIND UPLOADING might be seen as a quasi-spiritual, soft-science, woo-woo subject. Disregarding the freak show attendant, it is a serious topic, with serious thinkers deeply engaged. At its heart is the nature of (Artificial) Intelligence, the transition from inanimate to animate, and autonomous existence, questions we ask about viruses. It should engage those of us in the life sciences, and those interested in the greater questions of cultural evolution. View in LinkedIn