How birds lost their penises

[pokerfan]

Oh evolution, thou art a heartless bitch....

A study in Current Biology shows that these birds initiate a genetic "programme" during development that stops the budding penises from growing.

The loss of the organ could have given hens more control over reproduction.

Co-author Dr Martin Cohn, from the University of Florida in Gainesville, said: "Our discovery shows that reduction of the penis during bird evolution occurred by activation of a normal mechanism of programmed cell death in a new location, the tip of the emerging penis."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22803344

[In_The_Wind]

1. Tell that to my pair of doves.

[DCKit]

2. Our ducks had frightfully ugly organs.

Hard to miss, too.

[libodem]

3. Interesting

[DreamGypsy]

4. Ah, the cloacal kiss...

...the avian form of anal sex...and urogenital as well.

And, searching on related topics I discovered something I didn't know (or at least have well forgotten) - monotremes have a standard tri-functional cloaca, but marsupials have a cloaca and a separate genital tract.

The diversity of biological adaptation is wonderful. Evolution definitely is the greatest show on Earth.

Thanks for the post, pokerfan. I had read an NBC article on this earlier, but didn't have time then to research further.

[Warren DeMontague]

5. First Theon, now this.

Sure, you claim it was evolution, I blame the ******* of ******.

[eShirl]

6. it's always in the last place you look.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

7. I hope I never lose my Dodo!

See what I did there?

[Thor_MN]

8. "given hens more control over reproduction"

Is this the Bobbitt theory?

[BootinUp]

9. Kind of a use it or lose it thing then? nt

[rug]

10. .