Hannah Thomasy in The Scientist:
The cellular biology of reproduction is often depicted as an epic journey, in which millions of intrepid sperm fight to be the first to claim the ultimate prize: the chance to fertilize the egg, which has been passively waiting for the sperm to arrive. But is this an accurate picture? In a 1991 paper, New York University anthropologist Emily Martin argued that this notion was, in fact, “a scientific fairy tale.”1 Instead of representing absolute unbiased truths, she asserted that, “The picture of egg and sperm drawn in popular as well as scientific accounts of reproductive biology relies on stereotypes central to our cultural definitions of male and female.”
More here.
Enjoying the content on 3QD? Help keep us going by donating now.