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marmorset t1_j0w7jpa wrote

Reply to comment by Xploited_HnterGather in TIL that The sex of birds is determined by the Z and W sex chromosomes, rather than by the X and Y chromosomes present in mammals. Male birds have two Z chromosomes (ZZ), and female birds have a W chromosome and a Z chromosome (WZ). by treeofliife

That's not how it works. There's a default human form with shared characteristics but the embryo is created either XX or XY. Right from the beginning these genes start to direct development, that's why even at an early age male and female children have differences even though their bodies are very similar.

The fact that men have nipples is often used as proof of a female template, but that's just a shared characteristic. Humans start with the same set up and then the basic form is developed as necessary. The same argument about nipples could be made for hips and knees. The human template is obviously male because males have similar hips and knees their whole lives, but women's hips and knees change profoundly during puberty. That doesn't mean we're a male species, just that having "male" hips and kness doesn't hinder a woman and having "female" nipples doesn't hinder a man.

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u/treeofliife

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ZhouDa t1_j0wc5f8 wrote

Wait, how are a woman's knees different than a man's knees?

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