Indeed, we are all mutants and you present an impeccable scientific basis to support your hypothesis. To follow on from that, you describe how mutations are one of the main engines of survival in a gradually changing world and in that you are also right, but sadly you describe how nature and/or science makes no distinctions between extinction and survival ... mutations can contribute to both and do.

So what of the gender mutations and how do those affect survivability in the human species. I suppose in the raw natural conditions of human existence, gender mutations would have had little consequence at the basic simian level but sadly, once homo-sapiens starts to change his environment and social conditions then gender mutations become a bigger issue with every progression up the developmental ladder. Especially when morality and faith starts to evolve beyond the simple need for collective protection and defence of the group, or tribe.

Who amongst us older mutants, has not at some stage in their lives had their existence adversely affected by their gender mutations and why did it take so long for those social conditions to change. This begs the question ... are gender mutants simply sacrificial components in the evolutionary experiment or will they at some much later stage, become the bisexual fertilizers and receptors for the whole species. Who can tell and should we worry. That current consequential social stress is for me at least,a far bigger and more poignant question than the simple science of genetic mutations.

I'll be following this article/story/thesis with interest. I hope you have some useful scientific ammunition to support your observations. It'll make interesting reading.

Bevs. B.Sc., M.M., M.Sc,.

xx

With Bev in particular (if she writes about DNA mutations), I believe our gender ID problems are not the immediate result of mutations. I don't believe I was all set to be sis-gendered, when ionizing radiation blasted a base pair of my DNA pre or post fertilization. Mutations like this do happen; usually they are in noncritical, non genetic DNA -or- the base pair change or deletion is in a noncritical part of a protein molecule that still functions with a different amino acid in its sequence -or- the mutation is in a critical region of the (changed) protein created and the protein works less effectively or does not work at all, but there are well functioning proteins made from non-mutated DNA in the other chromosome of the pair. That is to say most DNA mutations don't change how we are structured or function, because of many layers of redundancy.

OTOH, fatal mutations can happen. A mutation will have the most effect if it happens to a sperm or egg or fertilized egg before many divisions. In these cases the nonfunctional DNA will be in all or much of the resulting organism's cells. However, (I'm not sure of this) a mutation might effect the way a sperm swims or doesn't penetrate the egg, so the sperm won't be part of a fertilized egg. In other situations, the fatal mutation might kill the embryo, stop it from implanting properly, mis-develop the placenta or various other activities that have to happen correctly to grow a functioning fetus. These mutated forms would then be washed away in the next period or cause a miscarriage.

A mutation in an adult is likely to be in one cell or if a group of cells are all irradiated or irritated by a carcinogen, the mutations in each different cell will almost certainly be different. A single cell mutation in certain parts of the DNA might cause un or mis regulated cell growth, resulting in benign growths or cancer.

DNA might have some effect on who becomes TS by creating structures more or less sensitive to endocrine disruptors or by other secondary mechanisms.

I'm not sure about this statement either; however it seems reasonable to think that I probably would be sis-gendered if my mother had not taken DES to try to prevent miscarriage of my pregnancy. I'm sure she and her doctors had no idea of the possible effects of DES to either male, female or intersex embryos.