4 ms·

It's funny, he was almost correct, but in actuality Atrazine turns frogs transgender: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2842049/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih

It's funny, he was almost correct, but in actuality Atrazine turns frogs transgender: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2842049/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2842049/ .

josefresco 2y ago
> he was almost correct That's the key element to effective conspiracy theories. A thread of truth, exaggerated, twisted and manipulated for maximum virality. Debunkers are met with links like the one you provided, and that's typically enough to discourage further debate because the truth is boring and a lot of hard work. And who wants to spend time trying to debunk when the believers don't want the truth!
- cmrdporcupine 2y ago
  Yes, and the blame is always placed on some cabal or minority group or political tendency that the conspiracy theorist dislikes... rather than looking at anything systematic. Which actually has the ultimate effect of blunting change rather than fostering it.
- TeaBrain 2y ago
  The truth in this case is even more strange than the conspiracy theory though.
- calculatte 2y ago
  His point was to keep the chemicals out of our food supply. Argue about the details all you want, but nobody wants to consume this toxin and feed it to their children. So yet again, Alex Jones was right.
- devops99 2y ago
  He's more of a corruption protestor than conspiracy theorist. A somewhat belligerent corruption protestor, yeah, but more that than anything else.
graemep 2y ago
In fact it makes them change sex, not gender (gender is a cultural construct, so only applies to humans). It makes frogs that would otherwise develop as male become female or intersex instead.
- TeaBrain 2y ago
  It looks like it actually reverses sexual characteristics without reversing chromosomes, meaning the males that have reversed sexual characteristics are still technically genetically male. "The resulting larvae were all male when raised to metamorphosis and sampled (n = 100), confirming that atrazine-induced females were, in fact, chromosomal males. Furthermore, atrazine-induced females lacked the DM-W further confirming that these atrazine-induced females were indeed chromosomal males (Fig. 2). These ZZ females expressed gonadal aromatase, as did true ZW females (n = 4, from our stock colony), but ZZ males (n = 8, control or treated) did not" https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2842049/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2842049/
  - graemep 2y ago
    Yes, exactly - that is why I said intersex. it covers both chromosomal and developmental abnormalities. The frogs ARE genetically male. They are female (or neither) as a result of development.
    - TeaBrain 2y ago
      I was more commenting on the first line of your comment, where you said that they were changing sex, but I don't think intersex is accurate either, as intersex traits are present at birth. In the study, they raised the male frogs to maturity before exposing them to atrazine, after which 10% had their adult male characteristics reversed to that of a female.
      - graemep 2y ago
        Good point, but. I suppose sex change might be more accurate.

It's funny, he was almost correct, but in actuality Atrazine turns frogs transgender: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2842049/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2842049/ .

josefresco 2y ago

> he was almost correct That's the key element to effective conspiracy theories. A thread of truth, exaggerated, twisted and manipulated for maximum virality. Debunkers are met with links like the one you provided, and that's typically enough to discourage further debate because the truth is boring and a lot of hard work. And who wants to spend time trying to debunk when the believers don't want the truth!

cmrdporcupine 2y ago
Yes, and the blame is always placed on some cabal or minority group or political tendency that the conspiracy theorist dislikes... rather than looking at anything systematic. Which actually has the ultimate effect of blunting change rather than fostering it.
TeaBrain 2y ago
The truth in this case is even more strange than the conspiracy theory though.
calculatte 2y ago
His point was to keep the chemicals out of our food supply. Argue about the details all you want, but nobody wants to consume this toxin and feed it to their children. So yet again, Alex Jones was right.
devops99 2y ago
He's more of a corruption protestor than conspiracy theorist. A somewhat belligerent corruption protestor, yeah, but more that than anything else.

graemep 2y ago

In fact it makes them change sex, not gender (gender is a cultural construct, so only applies to humans). It makes frogs that would otherwise develop as male become female or intersex instead.

TeaBrain 2y ago
It looks like it actually reverses sexual characteristics without reversing chromosomes, meaning the males that have reversed sexual characteristics are still technically genetically male. "The resulting larvae were all male when raised to metamorphosis and sampled (n = 100), confirming that atrazine-induced females were, in fact, chromosomal males. Furthermore, atrazine-induced females lacked the DM-W further confirming that these atrazine-induced females were indeed chromosomal males (Fig. 2). These ZZ females expressed gonadal aromatase, as did true ZW females (n = 4, from our stock colony), but ZZ males (n = 8, control or treated) did not" https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2842049/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2842049/
- graemep 2y ago
  Yes, exactly - that is why I said intersex. it covers both chromosomal and developmental abnormalities. The frogs ARE genetically male. They are female (or neither) as a result of development.
  - TeaBrain 2y ago
    I was more commenting on the first line of your comment, where you said that they were changing sex, but I don't think intersex is accurate either, as intersex traits are present at birth. In the study, they raised the male frogs to maturity before exposing them to atrazine, after which 10% had their adult male characteristics reversed to that of a female.
    - graemep 2y ago
      Good point, but. I suppose sex change might be more accurate.