Size matters? Testicle size linked to nurturing
John
Bacon, USA TODAY 4:14 p.m. EDT September 10,
2013
Men with smaller testicles are more likely
than their well-endowed brethren to be involved in the care of their toddlers,
anthropologists at Emory University report.
The higher the testosterone levels and larger
the testicles, the smaller the amount of direct paternal caregiving by dads as
reported by parents in the study.
"Our data suggest that the biology of
human males reflects a trade-off between mating and parenting," Emory
anthropologist James Rilling, whose lab conducted the research, reports on the Atlanta
university's website. The Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences published details of the study
this week.
The goal of the research, Rilling says, was to
determine why some fathers work harder at parenting than others. "Previous
studies have shown that children with more involved fathers have better social,
psychological and educational outcomes," he told the school's website.
Rilling noted that "life history
theory" holds that evolution optimizes use of resources toward mating or
parenting to generate the largest number and healthiest offspring.
The report notes that economic, social and
cultural factors could also influence a father's level of caregiving. Although
statistically significant, the correlation between testicle size and caregiving
was not perfect.
"The fact that we found this variance
suggests personal choice," Rilling says.
The study included 70 biological fathers who
were living with their toddler and its biological mother. The mothers and
fathers were interviewed separately about the father's involvement in tasks
such as changing diapers, feeding and bathing a child and caring for a sick
child.
Magnetic resonance imaging also was used to
measure brain activity and "testicular volume."
"We're assuming that testes size drives
how involved the fathers are," Rilling says, "But it could also be
that when men become more involved as caregivers, their testes shrink.
Environmental influences can change biology."
Some researchers question the study's
findings.
Lee Gettler, an anthropologist at Notre Dame
who has conducted research on how men respond physically to father-child
interactions, says the study assumes that larger testicles translate to
more "mating" by men. But they don't, Gettler told CNN. "Large
testes do not make you act promiscuously or badly as a parent."
Abass Alavi, a researcher with the University
of Pennsylvania, told CNN that size doesn't even determine how much sperm is
being created.
"What is important is how much sperm the testicle is
making," he said. "Some geniuses have very small brains."
30 South African men killed in ritual circumcision
AFP Published July 07, 2013
|
JOHANNESBURG (AFP) – Botched circumcisions killed 30 young men and landed almost 300 more in hospital during traditional initiation rites in a South African province, the health department said Sunday.
The 30 deaths in rural Eastern Cape province occurred during the annual season when young males undergo a rite of passage into manhood.
Ten other youths were hospitalized after being rescued from a forest on Sunday, said provincial health department spokesman Sizwe Kupelo in a statement.
"The ten initiates' private parts are rotten. They are badly damaged. Their condition is scary," he said.
A further 293 young men were undergoing hospital treatment for dehydration, gangrene and septic wounds, Kupelo added.
Some had lost their genitals.
Teenagers from ethnic Xhosa, Sotho and Ndebele groups typically spend around a month in secluded bush or mountains areas for their initiation to manhood.
This includes a circumcision as well as lessons on masculine courage and discipline.
Traditional surgeons perform the procedure in the bush, sometimes with unsterilised instruments or lacking in technique.
Botched circumcisions leading to penis amputations and deaths are an annual tragedy.
In May around 34 deaths in two other provinces were reported.
The ruling African National Congress said Sunday it was "distressed" over the latest deaths.
It called for basic medical training of the traditional surgeons to render "an entrenched and necessary part of our cultural fabric" safer.
Male Circumcision Tied to Less Sexual Pleasure
By Andrew M. Seaman
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Feb 14 - Men circumcised either as
children or adults report less intense sexual pleasure and orgasm than their
uncircumcised counterparts, according to a new study from Belgium.
"We're not saying less sexual activity or satisfaction, but
sensitivity," said the study's senior researcher Dr. Piet Hoebeke, from
Ghent University Hospital.
The new study surveyed 1,369 men over the age of 18, who responded
to leaflets handed out in train stations across Belgium.
The men were asked whether they were circumcised, and were then
asked to rate how sensitive their penis was, how intense their orgasms were and
whether they experience any pain or numbness when aroused.
Overall, 310 men who took the survey were circumcised, and 1,059
were not. Each rated how sensitive their penis was on a scale from 0 to 5, with
higher numbers being the most sensitive.
Overall, uncircumcised men reported between 0.2 points and 0.4
points higher sensitivity and sexual pleasure when their glans was stroked
during arousal, compared to circumcised men.
For example, uncircumcised men reported an average sensitivity
score of 3.72 when they or their partner stroked the top part of the glans,
compared to 3.31 amongst circumcised men.
Uncircumcised men also reported more intense orgasms.
"It's not a very big difference in sensitivity, but it's a
significant difference," Dr. Hoebeke said.
Currently, about half of U.S. baby boys have their foreskin
surgically removed at birth, and about 30% of men around the world are
circumcised.
Some religions, such as Judaism and Islam, consider circumcision
part of religious practice, while other people choose circumcision for possible
health benefits - including a reduced risk of urinary tract infections (see
Reuters Health article of Dec. 7, 2012).
One possible explanation for any potential difference in
sensitivity is that a man's foreskin may protect the glans from rubbing against
underwear and clothing. It's possible, the researchers write, that friction
makes the head of the penis thicker, drier and ultimately less sensitive.
The researchers also found circumcised men were more likely to
report more pain and numbness during arousal than uncircumcised men, which Dr.
Hoebeke said is likely due to scar tissue.
"I'm amazed that people report pain during sexual pleasure...
That's very amazing and that was unexpected," he said.
BJU Int 2013.
Feb 14, 2013 - Reuters Health Information
Dreaming of a handjob . . .
The other morning, I awoke to the most wonderful dream. My fist was around my boyfriend's dick, which was so HARD that it felt like wood!
But then the reality set in. My hand indeed was around HARD WOOD, but it was the hard wood of my Windsor Spindle Bed:
What a disappointment!!!
I was expecting something more like this:
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