I’ve been reading a lot about sexual ethics, so forgive me if my past two posts have been in the same vein.  In early theories of how babies are made, semen was believed to carry a homunculus (Latin for “little human”).  This theory of preformationism was prevalent before we understood that both a man and woman are equally important in active procreation.  So, yeah, some philosophers and scientists actually believed semen contained a miniature, fully-formed human.  Once the homunculus was inside the woman, development was solely concerned with enlarging this miniature person.  How stupid is that!  Sounds so ridiculous.

But…if we would go back in time and tell them that semen really contained millions of tiny tadpole thingies… I think that would freak them out more.

“Tiny tadpole thingies” is the terminology they use in advanced college biology courses.  Trust me.

I was perusing an etymological dictionary, and, like an 8-year old, I immediately looked up the word “penis.”  I haven’t changed at all.  I remember when I was younger I would look up the word “sex” in every dictionary I  could get my hands on (if I had a time machine I would go back in time and stuff child-me in a locker).  Anyway, “sex” was always next to some picture of a “sewing machine.”  That led to years of confusion.

As for the fact…well, the etymological dictionary told me that the proper plural for penis is “penes.”

I would hate to be the guy that had a reason to make the plural of that word.  Or would I love to be that guy… 

That’s all I got to say about that.

Originally, the “cockpit” referred only to the literal pit where cockfighting took place.  Through time, “cockpit” could be used as a metaphor for any place of intense combat.  For example, in World War I, the tight operating quarters of fighter planes began being referred to as cockpits.  Since then, we usually refer to the flight deck as the cockpit, even on commercial airliners.  Yes, the word cockpit has come a far way.  I just hope it’s never used to describe a place on your body…. think armpit. 

The epicanthic fold is a skin fold of the upper eyelid that gives a large percentage of the world, including many East Asians, almond shaped eyes, in comparison to Caucasians’ (although given the relatively minute percentage of Caucasians in the world, it may be better to note how many Caucasians lack epicanthic folds).  It is hypothesized that the epicanthic fold is evolutionary as it protects the eyes from harsh UV rays, strong wind, and frigid temperatures.  To compensate for the lack of epicanthic fold, I have to wear mirrored goggles around all the time.