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Marty and Faye got into a bottle of schnapps under the sink, so that's why for the texts.

1 (2.1%)

Annnyway.... NO, I didn't make out with Tai.

0 (0%)

Too friendcestuous? ...I don't know. I never really thought about it.

1 (2.1%)

I've seen you check out her ass. Hey, be fair! I check out TONS of asses!

4 (8.5%)

Your hair is different! It's the humidity.

0 (0%)

Claire has a latte for Marten! (Kiss-ass)

0 (0%)

Tai called and said she's sleeping in, librarians don't get in for 2 hrs. and I don't have keys.

1 (2.1%)

We could use Momo as a battering ram!

0 (0%)

Your hair's different today. It's the humidity.

0 (0%)

Do your pigtails detach? Do you store roll cake in your arms?

3 (6.4%)

If you like anime that much, I should introduce you to my friend Marigold.

1 (2.1%)

Um, what's "anime?"

3 (6.4%)

Your hair is differ- HUMIDITY

5 (10.6%)

Oh hey, you're here. Why wouldn't I be?

0 (0%)

I DID NOT HOOK UP WITH TAI! (Everybody being all up in my business isn't helping)

0 (0%)

Duct Tape! (I bet you wanna get all up in TAI'S business)

8 (17%)

She's also about to have her blackboard privileges revoked.

0 (0%)

So... What do you think? ... you know me better than anybody else.

2 (4.3%)

She's the one who's pursuing you... seems like a good setup for avoiding what messed up OUR relationship.

0 (0%)

If you're just considering it because she's shown interest in you, that's not really fair to her.

1 (2.1%)

BUT think how cute your babies would be! (We're both female, we can't -) WE ARE WORKING ON THAT TECHNOLOGY

17 (36.2%)

Total Members Voted: 45

[Carl-E]

...and if they're not yours, the poo is someone else's problem! 

[SomeCanadianWeirdo]

Yeah, Hannelore likes cats, and unlike children they don't eventually learn to control their potential ickyness.

If the comic lasts long enough, or Jeph speeds things up enough, for any of the characters to have kids I'm sure we'll get to see a Hannelore freakout when she experiences first hand the messy things babies can do.  Or worse yet, toddlers, who can do things like draw pictures on the wall with permanent markers.

[akronnick]

Fertilize an egg from mother A and remove the nucleus. Replace it with a nucleus from Mother B.

The offspring would have the nuclear DNA of B and the mitochondrial DNA of Mother A.

(probably would not be ethical to use that procedure on a human subject, especially when there are so many ways for same-sex couples to become parents that don't require ethically skeezy in-vitro jiggery pokery)

[foolsguinea]

It's good that Marten and Dora are friends now, but I'm just sobbing over here that they're not together.

[Dr. ROFLPWN]

...yeah I don't know why I peeked in here and expected to see anything except long pontificating spiels on how two girls could have babies in the real world and lots of flashing of Internet Science Credentials 

(I say this without hostility, though, don't be mad bros)

anyhow I love it when Hannelore gets all shippy, it's adorable

I want to see an Emily-Hannelore spinoff team up adventure, Jeph plz make it happen

[sitnspin]

Normally I am pretty anti-baby, even though my late wife and I discussed options for the possibility sometime down the road (sadly we never got the chance), however even with my anti-baby tendencies I kind of agree with Hanners here. Tai and Dora would make cute genetic combinations.

[Mr_Rose]

Heh. They actually did this with mice, but it needs two generations and a genetic capacity humans just don't have (fertile XX males) to pull off.

[Throg]

*sigh*

The Questionables, ever ready to jump into the breach when thrown a cue like "WE ARE WORKING ON THAT TECHNOLOGY"

[jwhouk]

Of course, the most logical explanation would be for both of them to have surrogate fathers.

Or the same one, of course...

[Near Lurker]

I'm surprised this universe doesn't have it already.

[DSL]

In the QCVerse, this is, in fact, handled by copy machines.
Which is why Natasha got into trouble, way back when.

[Omega Entity]

They have sentient AI. I'm pretty sure QC is set far enough in the future that that kind of technology isn't too far off.

Not so much "set in the future", but certain technologies (AnthroPC's, human-habitable and comfortable space stations, hologram AIs etc) sure as hell are more advanced than what we got here (DARPA included (probably)).

Wasn't it stated somewhere that QC operates in our timeline, but as an alternate reality?

[TinPenguin]

Of course, the most logical explanation would be for both of them to have surrogate fathers.

And then, after they've had a child each (hopefully of opposite genders), breed their offspring together, so their genes can at last be pooled to create Tai/Dora adorableness.

Technically, it's not incest.

[LTK]

Men are a mystery biologically. A species can perpetuate itself better if it doesn't have half its members incapable of bearing children. There is speculation about why males exist but nothing definitive.

Wow, where'd you get that idea? Between the advantages of sexual versus asexual reproduction, and selection pressure on individuals that are specialized toward reproduction as a single sex, I'd say the reasons are obvious.

[treyhawk]

So the technology nearly exists where two women can have a baby without any male help.  It would be safe to assume then that the technology to be able to choose your child's sex before birth would be feasible.  If both of those technologies existed at the same time, ... ummm ... hold on, I think I feel a new cracked conspiracy theory arising...

[Method of Madness]

Yeah, but a considerable majority of humanity is heterosexual, wouldn't a one-sex species be problematic?

[Sidhekin]

Actually, if both parents are female, so is the offspring.  No Y-chromosome forthcoming.

[LTK]

It would be safe to assume then that the technology to be able to choose your child's sex before birth would be feasible.

Well, that part is piss easy. All you need to do is put the zygote under the microscope and identify the chromosomes. I'm pretty sure every IVF treatment done in the last decade already had that opportunity; I don't know if they take it, or if it's legal to do so.

[Method of Madness]

Is there any good reason for it to be illegal?

[Omega Entity]

Imagine China's one-child policy, and the effects it's had on the population - male children are preferred in that particular society. Now the male-to-female ratio is all out of whack. Just imagine how it would be in similar societies, if gender could be chosen at conception.

[Method of Madness]

Good point.  Also, if gender can be controlled through IVF, I wonder what else can be decided at that stage.

[Boxilar]

Of course, the most logical explanation would be for both of them to have surrogate fathers.

And then, after they've had a child each (hopefully of opposite genders), breed their offspring together, so their genes can at last be pooled to create Tai/Dora adorableness.

Technically, it's not incest.

Not technicaly, but two kids raised together are going to be subject to the Westermarck effect. The SQUICK factor remains.

Good point.  Also, if gender can be controlled through IVF, I wonder what else can be decided at that stage.

I don't know, but I just heard a story on Radio Lab where a scientist had succesfully introduced missing red color receptor cones into the eyes of monkeys that lacked them using a retro virus. (is that the right term?)
He then speculated that it would be possible to introduce cones from other species into humans, possibly giving us vision in the ultra violet range. Also, I didn't realise that only men were color blind. The genes for the color receptors are on the X chromosome. Women have a back up in thier second chromosome, so no woman should be color blind. In fact a very small percentage of women have fourth color receptor beyond the usual three the rest of the human race is getting by on. These women can see colors that no man ever will.

[Kugai]

Interesting thought

Little Dora and Tai children running around

[Omega Entity]

Good point.  Also, if gender can be controlled through IVF, I wonder what else can be decided at that stage.

Also, I didn't realise that only men were color blind. The genes for the color receptors are on the X chromosome. Women have a back up in thier second chromosome, so no woman should be color blind. In fact a very small percentage of women have fourth color receptor beyond the usual three the rest of the human race is getting by on. These women can see colors that no man ever will.

Actually, it's possible for women to be colorblind too. It's just a much rarer occurrence since it usually requires the defect on both of the X chromosomes. Now if it were carried only on the Y chromosome, then it'd be exclusively male.

[jwhouk]

Oh gee, something we haven't done for a while: What was the MOMENT OF THE WEEK?

Marty and Faye got into a bottle of schnapps under the sink, so that's why for the texts.    0 (0%)
Annnyway.... NO, I didn't make out with Tai.    0 (0%)
Too friendcestuous? ...I don't know. I never really thought about it.    0 (0%)
I've seen you check out her ass. Hey, be fair! I check out TONS of asses!    4 (16%)
Your hair is different! It's the humidity.    0 (0%)
Claire has a latte for Marten! (Kiss-ass)    0 (0%)
Tai called and said she's sleeping in, librarians don't get in for 2 hrs. and I don't have keys.    1 (4%)
We could use Momo as a battering ram!    0 (0%)
Your hair's different today. It's the humidity.    0 (0%)
Do your pigtails detach? Do you store roll cake in your arms?    1 (4%)
If you like anime that much, I should introduce you to my friend Marigold.    0 (0%)
Um, what's "anime?"    1 (4%)
Your hair is differ- HUMIDITY    1 (4%)
Oh hey, you're here. Why wouldn't I be?    0 (0%)
I DID NOT HOOK UP WITH TAI! (Everybody being all up in my business isn't helping)    0 (0%)
Duct Tape! (I bet you wanna get all up in TAI'S business)    3 (12%)
She's also about to have her blackboard privileges revoked.    0 (0%)
So... What do you think? ... you know me better than anybody else.    1 (4%)
She's the one who's pursuing you... seems like a good setup for avoiding what messed up OUR relationship.    0 (0%)
If you're just considering it because she's shown interest in you, that's not really fair to her.    1 (4%)
BUT think how cute your babies would be! (We're both female, we can't -) WE ARE WORKING ON THAT TECHNOLOGY    12 (48%)

Total Members Voted: 25

[sitnspin]

A monogendered sexually reproducing species exist. Worms are simultaneously hermaphrodtic, they can both impregnate and be impregnated. Then there are sequential hermaphrodites, species that can change sexes, some of them multiple times.

There is a science fiction book by Usula Le Guin called "The Left Hand of Darkness" that deals with a planet inhabited by a humanoid species that are sequential hemaphrodites who go through regular cycles of sex change but spend most of their time neuter with no sexual expression at all, only expressing as male or female a few days per month.

[Somebody]

If you're talking about why sexual reproduction occurs, as opposed to parthogenesis, it's pretty clear that the genetic shuffling that occurs introduces greater genetic variability into a species. Which makes it more likely that under changing conditions the species as a whole will survive. Bacteria can do this sort of genetic shuffling without sex, but their method of doing so is if not impossible, at least highly impractical for multicellular organisms like us.

That doesn't explain why mammals aren't hermaphrodites, with all members capable of both impregnating and *being* impregnated!

All you need to make your offspring is to combine the nucleii of two eggs. I don't know if injecting on egg nucleus into another will kickstart it into fetal growth; it might need sperm touching its outer cellular wall to start the chemical changes that commence the process. It might be a process of penetrating the host nucleus as well and combining the two, or, one could remove a nucleus from EACH donor, combine them, and inject the result into another egg that has had its nucleus cleared.
Or, if you remove the nucleus from one egg and inject it into a similarly cleared sperm, then fertilize another egg with it, that might be easiest - however the nucleus of the egg might be too large for the sperm cell; I don't recall their relative sizes.
Another possibility would be to inject one egg nucleus into another egg, then kickstart it with a sperm cell that had its nucleus removed.
I don't know if this degree of microsurgery exists, for sperm cells are a LOT smaller than eggs.

All in all, I'd be pretty surprised to find out that none of this is currently possible. It might be however, that the failure to success ratio would be so high that it simply isn't done at the present time.

It's more complicated than that. In sperm, various genes are activated to make the children grow big and healthy while still in the womb. Eggs, OTOH, activate *contrary* genes to keep the foetus small and thus not such a big strain on the mother during pregnancy & childbirth.

Simply fusing the nuclei of two eggs would thus end up with two doses of "small" and no "big", leading to an unviable foetus.

[Boomslang]

If you're talking about why sexual reproduction occurs, as opposed to parthogenesis, it's pretty clear that the genetic shuffling that occurs introduces greater genetic variability into a species. Which makes it more likely that under changing conditions the species as a whole will survive. Bacteria can do this sort of genetic shuffling without sex, but their method of doing so is if not impossible, at least highly impractical for multicellular organisms like us.

That doesn't explain why mammals aren't hermaphrodites, with all members capable of both impregnating and *being* impregnated!

No, but the fact that our lineage is predominantly non-hermaphroditic explains that very easily. It's still possible for hermaphroditism to appear as a mutation, but unless that mutation is also compatible with existing reproduction of the species, it will die off that generation. And beyond that, it would only become dominant if it was positively affecting the survival of the species- I went into why that isn't necessarily the case earlier on in the post you quoted.

Humans, especially, would be negatively affected by being hermaphrodites. Tribal societies use various methods to decrease the amount of children they have so that they don't outstrip their resources. The maximum number of children you can raise to adulthood is far fewer than the maximum number that can be born even with half the tribe not producing them. Furthermore, unlike most animals, pregnant humans are less able to hunt, travel large distances, outrun predators, or fight those predators or another tribe, in addition to the high possibility of dying in childbirth. If mammals were hermaphroditic by default, it would be hard to see how humanity as we know it could have ever come about. It's already kind of shocking we made it to the tool-using phase as things are.

[wiserd]

Simply fusing the nuclei of two eggs would thus end up with two doses of "small" and no "big", leading to an unviable unbelievably cute foetus.

FTFY.

[WAYF]

I think that Marten gave some pretty solid advice there. Cautionary, but not too cautionary. And they both now seem to be approaching it from the frame of mind that Tai said what she said because she meant it and not because she was drunk, which to me is a step forward!

[LTK]

That doesn't explain why mammals aren't hermaphrodites, with all members capable of both impregnating and *being* impregnated!

No, but the fact that our lineage is predominantly non-hermaphroditic explains that very easily. It's still possible for hermaphroditism to appear as a mutation, but unless that mutation is also compatible with existing reproduction of the species, it will die off that generation. And beyond that, it would only become dominant if it was positively affecting the survival of the species- I went into why that isn't necessarily the case earlier on in the post you quoted.

Humans, especially, would be negatively affected by being hermaphrodites. Tribal societies use various methods to decrease the amount of children they have so that they don't outstrip their resources. The maximum number of children you can raise to adulthood is far fewer than the maximum number that can be born even with half the tribe not producing them. Furthermore, unlike most animals, pregnant humans are less able to hunt, travel large distances, outrun predators, or fight those predators or another tribe, in addition to the high possibility of dying in childbirth. If mammals were hermaphroditic by default, it would be hard to see how humanity as we know it could have ever come about. It's already kind of shocking we made it to the tool-using phase as things are.

Unfortunately, that logic is completely backwards! If you want to answer the question why humans aren't hermaphrodites, then of course you can come up with many, many problems that would arise if early mammals became hermaphroditic at some point during the last few million years, because we never evolved that way! The split between sexual dimorphism and hermaphrodism was never present in mammals, for that you'd have to look at vertebrates in general. The clownfish is a vertebrate that's a sequential hermaphrodite.

So the better question is, why didn't mammals evolve to be hermaphroditic in the first place? I think the easiest explanation is that specialized sexes are better able to fulfill their role in reproduction than hermaphrodites, which are trying to do both at the same time. Apparently, the advantage gained by specializing your reproductive organs to one task is bigger than the disadvantage of only having half of all individuals capable of producing children, among other advantages and disadvantages.

[HiFranc]

You get a donor sperm cell, take out its DNA, replace it with DNA of woman A and put the altered sperm into woman B's egg.
You then get child AB!

And has either been proposed properly or already done.  I remember listening to discussion about that very technology.  I'm looking for the link now.

{edit} I was wrong:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9421000/9421816.stm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16627043

[jwhouk]

Oh gee, something we haven't done for a while: What was the MOMENT OF THE WEEK?

I've seen you check out her ass. Hey, be fair! I check out TONS of asses!    4 (13.8%)
Tai called and said she's sleeping in, librarians don't get in for 2 hrs. and I don't have keys.    1 (3.4%)
Do your pigtails detach? Do you store roll cake in your arms?    2 (6.9%)
If you like anime that much, I should introduce you to my friend Marigold.    1 (3.4%)
Um, what's "anime?"    1 (3.4%)
Your hair is differ- HUMIDITY    1 (3.4%)
Duct Tape! (I bet you wanna get all up in TAI'S business)    4 (13.8%)
So... What do you think? ... you know me better than anybody else.    2 (6.9%)
If you're just considering it because she's shown interest in you, that's not really fair to her.    1 (3.4%)
BUT think how cute your babies would be! (We're both female, we can't -) WE ARE WORKING ON THAT TECHNOLOGY    12 (41.4%)

Total Members Voted: 29

[Rose]

Hi, I don't post here often (ever) but the situation in Friday's comic was kind of off-putting for me. I think by now, as an audience, we've accepted the fact that there is no tension between Dora and Marten, but my question is why. They had that one scene at the Tai's party where they sort of hashed things out, but it seemed so artificial at the time. Now Marten is playing big brother to Dora, giving her girl advice and playfully prodding her about new advances from other people?

I think that there are a couple of reasons why they might be at this stage of relationship by now, but there's something not so right about it. In the timeline of the comic, it doesn't feel like more than a few months have passed, if more have passed then maybe it makes more sense. What I can only guess would be probable is if by the time the two of them had broken up they had already moved on emotionally, because there's absolutely no tension between them. Their breakup was so chaotic that I'm no so sure about this explanation. I also considered that the two of them are overcompensating for their history by being overly chummy, but if that were the case I think it would be more obvious.

I don't get it. It's like they've completely forgotten about the last.. year? How long were they together anyway? I feel as though I am forced to suspend my beliefs in order to accept the way that they act towards each other. Thoughts?

Tai and Dora would make cute babies though!

[Silentbanksy]

Hi, I don't post here often (ever) but the situation in Friday's comic was kind of off-putting for me. I think by now, as an audience, we've accepted the fact that there is no tension between Dora and Marten, but my question is why. They had that one scene at the Tai's party where they sort of hashed things out, but it seemed so artificial at the time. Now Marten is playing big brother to Dora, giving her girl advice and playfully prodding her about new advances from other people?

I think that there are a couple of reasons why they might be at this stage of relationship by now, but there's something not so right about it. In the timeline of the comic, it doesn't feel like more than a few months have passed, if more have passed then maybe it makes more sense. What I can only guess would be probable is if by the time the two of them had broken up they had already moved on emotionally, because there's absolutely no tension between them. Their breakup was so chaotic that I'm no so sure about this explanation. I also considered that the two of them are overcompensating for their history by being overly chummy, but if that were the case I think it would be more obvious.

I don't get it. It's like they've completely forgotten about the last.. year? How long were they together anyway? I feel as though I am forced to suspend my beliefs in order to accept the way that they act towards each other. Thoughts?

Tai and Dora would make cute babies though!

I think the point is that they're both doing their best to move on, and have at least experimented with relationships since break up, with Padma and Jim. (Jim? I think it's Jim, sorry, I forget). But especially if you look at how Dora is in this last comic, when she asks Marten for advice she's actually protecting herself, she knows she's vulnerable and is taking a step out there. I think that it's established this is new territory for the both of them, and they're both trying to move on and be mature about the whole thing.

Ew, babies.

[Near Lurker]

The answer is simple and depressing: men are "meant" to be butchered or ostracized en masse, leading to advantages spreading more quickly among populations.

[Is it cold in here?]

Dora and Marten had a pretty good friendship before the relationship, and it's only some breakups that destroy friendships.

[cesariojpn]

REASONABLE NUMBER OF LADYBABIES!

Also, who is 'we' in the last panel? Hanners and Station?

I was kinda wondering about that. The expression Hanners has in the panel doesn't quite match with the text bubble. You'd expect her to angrily react to the comment made by Dora.

[DSL]

REASONABLE NUMBER OF LADYBABIES!

Also, who is 'we' in the last panel? Hanners and Station?

I was kinda wondering about that. The expression Hanners has in the panel doesn't quite match with the text bubble. You'd expect her to angrily react to the comment made by Dora.

Uhhh ... why?

[jwhouk]

I heard that in Pure Happy Hannervoice, not Angry Hannervoice.

[Asterus]

I think he may have meant "aggressive" instead of angry. Hanners is drawn in her "EEEEEEEEEEEE" pose, but her second bubble invokes the image of her "Shaking someone and yelling at them, then going to disinfect herself later" pose (I.E: Panel 3b here)

[cesariojpn]

REASONABLE NUMBER OF LADYBABIES!

Also, who is 'we' in the last panel? Hanners and Station?

I was kinda wondering about that. The expression Hanners has in the panel doesn't quite match with the text bubble. You'd expect her to angrily react to the comment made by Dora.

Uhhh ... why?

Her first text bubble matches her facial expression. She's ridiculously excited that Dora and Tai could have babies. Dora says something in the negative, and the next text bubble is in bold caps, as if the person is reacting to the negative comment. Which doesn't quite match Hanners facial expressions in the panel.

[Omega Entity]

I saw it as more of an excited all-caps response. Like she's super excited to be announcing that the ability is in the works, and that it's relevant.

As for the 'we', I assume she's including herself with the scientists and such on the station.

[techkid]

Same here. Her determination in the "reasonable number of babies" quest is overwhelming (at least when it pertains to other people), of course she'd be super excited if she knew that she can help same-sex couples achieve that goal.

I would also say that her "we" in the last panel, would also mean herself and the scientists in space (there is no clear objective on what scientific studies are being performed there, but chances are that biologists and geneticists would have found a place there (biological effects of living in space and other genetic studies is just as important as the astronomy, physics, quantum studies, chemistry and all that)).

[cesariojpn]

I saw it as more of an excited all-caps response. Like she's super excited to be announcing that the ability is in the works, and that it's relevant.

Me and the girlfriend acted it out taking the role of Hanners each, and we came to the agreement that the last speech bubble doesn't match Hanners facial expression at that moment. Tried as we might to pass it off as spontaneous banter, we came to the conclusion that for someone to say it out loud means there has to be some anger in the facial expression and tone of voice to do it. 

[Mothykins]

Tried as we might to pass it off as spontaneous banter, we came to the conclusion that for someone to say it out loud means there has to be some anger in the facial expression and tone of voice to do it.

Um, not really.

Hanners was speaking forcefully. That's clear from the bolded text and the fact that she interrupted Dora.

But forceful =/= angry. In fact, anger makes absolutely no sense in the context of the conversation. She has no reason to be angry.

Sorry, but just because it looks weird to you, that doesn't mean there's something wrong with it :/

[Schmorgluck]

Ditto, she's crazed and upbeat, which makes perfect sense with yelling.

[jwhouk]

YELLING

[Carl-E]

It's funny, I envisioned her eyes squeezing shut for a moment as those wors escaped, then reopening with the excited look still in place.

[Is it cold in here?]

"Crazed and upbeat": could not have put it better.