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1、HalfMale,HalfFemale,TotalAnimalMixed-sexanimalsteachusaboutourownmultifariousnature.BYFERRISJABRMAY22,2014Astheyoftendoafterarainstorm,butterflieshadgatheredaroundpuddlesonPigeonMountaininnorthwestGeorgia.Netsinhand,JamesAdamsandhisfriendIrvingFinkelstein
2、watchedtheinsectslappingupsaltsandproteinsdissolvedinthemuddywater,theirfoldedwingsyawningapartnowandthen.Thereweresilvery-blue Celastrinas andSkippersthecolorofcinnamonandash.LargestofallweretheTigerSwallowtails—pastellemonmaleswithblackdagger-likestripe
3、sandmidnight-darkfemaleswithadustingofeveningcerulean.SuddenlyaveryoddcreatureflittedpastAdamsandFinkelstein—aswallowtailunlikeanytheyhadeverseen.Itslefthalfwasyellow;itsright,black.Itwasasthoughsomeonehadsliceduptwodifferentinsectsandseamlesslysewnthemba
4、cktogether.Finkelsteinyelpedandtookaswipeatthebizarrebeauty,missingbyquiteabit.Suppressinghisexcitement,lestitmisguidehishand,Adamschasedthebutterflyafewsteps,swung,andnettedit.Hecouldseeimmediatelythathehadcaughtagynandromorph—ananimalthatwashalf-maleand
5、half-female.17/17Butterflycollectorslovegynandromorphsfortheirrarityasmuchastheirpeculiarity.Theyareunpredictablehiccupsinnature’ssymphonyofsymmetry.Thecreaturestantalizescientists,too,becausetheyofferauniqueopportunity:thechancetostudytypicallymaleandfem
6、alegenesandanatomyinthesamebody.Forhundredsofyears,naturalistshavebeendocumentinggynandromorphsamonginsects,spiders,lobsters,andbirds.Morerecently,researchers—aidedbyincreasinglysophisticatedlaboratorytools—haveoverturnedreigningtheoriesofsexualdevelopmen
7、tbystudyingsuchhybrids.Ashasproventruetimeandagainthroughoutthehistoryofscience,thecreaturesthatseemstrangest—thosethataretooodd,tooasymmetricaltofitneatlyintoourpresupposedcategories—teachusthemostabouthowalllivingthingswork.Itturnsout,forexample,thatthe
8、standardexplanationofhowabirdbecomesmaleorfemaleiswrong.Scientistscametothisrealizationnotbyinvestigatingscoresoftypicalbirds,butratherbyexaminingafewgynandromorphs.Itallstartedwithanoddzebrafinch.17/17TWO-FACEDSONG
