Hi dekreeft27,
Ahhh... the age-old question! :)
A Moment of Science
http://amos.indiana.edu/library/scripts/nipples.html
"This Moment of Science will answer a question that must have been
gnawing at you since you first noticed that human males have nipples.
What genetic glitch left human males with female features?
Male nipples aren't exactly a genetic glitch: they are evidence of our
developmental clock. In the early stages of life from conception until
about 14 weeks, all human fetuses look the same, regardless of gender.
At the tender age of 14 weeks post-fertilization , genetically-male
fetuses begin to produce male hormones including testosterone. These
hormones turn the androgynous fetus into a bouncing baby boy.
Here's where the developmental clock comes in. By 14 weeks, when the
hormones turn on, the nipples have already formed. So, while our male
fetus goes on to become a baby boy, he keeps his nipples, reminding
all of us that people, male and female, started off the same way."
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DrDrew.com
http://www.drdrew.com/office/faq.asp?id=1163
Why do men have nipples?
"All mammals have nipples. It is the result of our genetic evolution.
Superfluous structures in humans include the appendix, possibly
tonsils, and male nipples. The exact reason for male nipples is a
mystery. We may have some clue in that all humans actually start as a
single "female" cell. This cell contains a number of
"chromosomes"--the blueprints of who we are (if we are a boy or girl,
how tall we will be or what diseases we may have when we are older).
Females have XX sex chromosomes and males have XY sex chromosomes. It
is only in early development (when you were first fertilized) that the
Y chromosome is introduced. It is under the influence of this
chromosome that a chemical messenger/hormone called testosterone is
produced, which leads to the development of male genitalia. Later in
life, the presence of a Y chromosome prevents breast development in
men."
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Ask The Experts - Teenwire.com
http://www.teenwire.com/index.asp?taStrona=http://www.teenwire.com/ask/articles/as_20000303p034.asp
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Salon Health
http://www.salon.com/health/feature/1999/06/08/nipples/print.html
Best regards,
tlspiegel |