h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

and so my original stance, over my entire life, of pathetically apathetic acquiescence to an accepted belief...
was right?
i think you are right, Xanatic.
i was hoping for a reason more far out but it is probably is that reason

i took a statistics class once and maintained throughout that when it came right down to it... its always a 50/50 chance it either happens or it doesn't.

thanks

btw, hoovooloo, that article you just referenced? aarrghh! things like that just make me so tired... although i am sure they are interesting to some folks. and it seems to me they were talking almost more about the statistics of people talking about statistics than they were talking about statitistics themselves...

You should get your money back from that statistics class.

Read back what I said about war, you seem to have misunderstood me. There is more to it than that. Also, hermaphrodism doesn't seem to be that uncommon, I think 1 baby in 500 is born with combined genitals. However they generally undergo surgery early on, and would likely not show up in your statistics on men/women ratios.

"Read back what I said about war, you seem to have misunderstood me. There is more to it than that."
could you be more specific? i kinda can't figure out which thing you said that you are referring to...

Wow one in 500?! Is that true hermaphrodism or all of the many forms it takes?
Astounding statistic!!

speaking of which... i got a very good grade in the stats class... i understood the work... i just had and still have a very bad (staticians' opinion) attitude about statistics

i myself think,of course, its a very good attitude
it either happens or it doesn't happen
that's as 50/50 as it gets in my book

Well, this is as mentioned something I remember from reading about it close to 15 years ago, so take with a grain of salt.
If you have 1000 men and 1000 women, the ratio of boys to girls being born will be about 50/50. If you have 1000 women and 100 men, the ratio of boys being born will go up. This is due to these men likely having sex more often, and the relative lifespan of female vs male sperm. This creates a positive feedback effect.

> I think 1 baby in 500 is born with combined genitals. However they generally undergo surgery early on.

And that surgery is unnecessary and damaging.