this post was submitted on 21 Jul 2026
38 points (93.2% liked)

Ask Science

17217 readers
16 users here now

Ask a science question, get a science answer.


Community Rules


Rule 1: Be respectful and inclusive.Treat others with respect, and maintain a positive atmosphere.


Rule 2: No harassment, hate speech, bigotry, or trolling.Avoid any form of harassment, hate speech, bigotry, or offensive behavior.


Rule 3: Engage in constructive discussions.Contribute to meaningful and constructive discussions that enhance scientific understanding.


Rule 4: No AI-generated answers.Strictly prohibit the use of AI-generated answers. Providing answers generated by AI systems is not allowed and may result in a ban.


Rule 5: Follow guidelines and moderators' instructions.Adhere to community guidelines and comply with instructions given by moderators.


Rule 6: Use appropriate language and tone.Communicate using suitable language and maintain a professional and respectful tone.


Rule 7: Report violations.Report any violations of the community rules to the moderators for appropriate action.


Rule 8: Foster a continuous learning environment.Encourage a continuous learning environment where members can share knowledge and engage in scientific discussions.


Rule 9: Source required for answers.Provide credible sources for answers. Failure to include a source may result in the removal of the answer to ensure information reliability.


By adhering to these rules, we create a welcoming and informative environment where science-related questions receive accurate and credible answers. Thank you for your cooperation in making the Ask Science community a valuable resource for scientific knowledge.

We retain the discretion to modify the rules as we deem necessary.

For answers to historical questions, please check out our sister community: !askhistorians@lemmy.world


founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
 

It makes sense from a why standpoint. I can't help but wonder about the how.

How did we evolve reproductive organs that are not only sensitive, but also release reproductive cells at climax?

I'm ok with a "we have no idea" answer, but if there is an answer I also want to know.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] AlfalFaFail@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

So your first paragraph is a bit irksome.

Probably because otherwise the females don't mate, or are killed during the mating or birthing process. Or it's possible that there are non-genetic factors to how they develop.

Because it's speculation to preserve the three explanations for all evolved traits that you know about.
(1) easier to survive -> killed during the mating or birthing process
(2) easier/more survivable reproduction -> otherwise the females don't mate (3) makes the mate more appealing so others want to mate with you.

Now hold the duck tract up against each one: Not (1). A corkscrew oviduct isn't a survival trait, it's purely reproductive plumbing. Not (3). It's not making anyone more appealing. It's not a peacock tail. Nobody's choosing a mate because of a more convoluted tract. Ipf anything it's invisible to mate choice entirely, it only matters after copulation. Not (2), and actually the opposite. The duck tract makes reproduction harder. It's a filter to block fertilization from certain partners.

And finally, we have enough evidence to show that this is a heritible trait. So what's going on?

This is called antagonistic coevolution. This is an evolved trait that makes it harder for all partners. The tract can relax for preferred partners making reproduction easier. But not as easy as a straight tract.

So we have convoluted tracts for the females... What do the males do? They create corkscrew penises. This goes back and forth, male adaptions force female adaptions. There is no directional selection of a fixed trait. There's coevolution based on frequency dependent selection. It's the Red Queen dynamics (that's the "it takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place" line from Alice in Wonderland). It's where male and female traits keep escalating against each other rather than converging on one fixed "best" trait. Rather you get a lot of opportunity for variability across the popultion and through generations. This is causal without being teleological.

Finally, there seems to be evidence that this can end in mutualism, but not guaranteed. I'm a little surprised you weren't more curious about this little factoid when I presented it and chose to close on your best understanding.

Anyway. I believe in unintelligent design.