Well, I suppose the good news here is that this may solve the
population explosion. Again, Nature bats last.
It's official: Men really are the weaker sex
Evolution is being distorted by pollution, which damages genitals and
the ability to father offspring, says new study. Geoffrey Lean reports
Sunday, 7 December 2008
The male gender is in danger, with incalculable consequences for both
humans and wildlife, startling scientific research from around the
world reveals.
The research – to be detailed tomorrow in the most comprehensive
report yet published – shows that a host of common chemicals is
feminising males of every class of vertebrate animals, from fish to
mammals, including people.
Backed by some of the world's leading scientists, who say that it
"waves a red flag" for humanity and shows that evolution itself is
being disrupted, the report comes out at a particularly sensitive time
for ministers. On Wednesday, Britain will lead opposition to proposed
new European controls on pesticides, many of which have been found to
have "gender-bending" effects.
It also follows hard on the heels of new American research which shows
that baby boys born to women exposed to widespread chemicals in
pregnancy are born with smaller penises and feminised genitals.
"This research shows that the basic male tool kit is under threat,"
says Gwynne Lyons, a former government adviser on the health effects
of chemicals, who wrote the report.
Wildlife and people have been exposed to more than 100,000 new
chemicals in recent years, and the European Commission has admitted
that 99 per cent of them are not adequately regulated. There is not
even proper safety information on 85 per cent of them.
Many have been identified as "endocrine disrupters" – or gender-
benders – because they interfere with hormones. These include
phthalates, used in food wrapping, cosmetics and baby powders among
other applications; flame retardants in furniture and electrical
goods; PCBs, a now banned group of substances still widespread in food
and the environment; and many pesticides.