taxonomy in public media

[Ben Waggoner]

On Wed, 15 Jan 1997, Robin Leech wrote:

> Hi one and all,
>
> I do not know how to explain Spock as half human and half something
> else.  But, I am curious about Superman.  One need only only wait a while
> for Superman and Lois Lane.  Superman is a non-earling who merely happens
> to look like a human, but we have yet to see (on TV, anyway!), if his
> genetic makeup will be compatible with that of Lois.
>
> Why do we assume Superman to be "he" or "him"?  It could be that Superman
> represents a third sex.

For those who really want to pursue the matter further: The definitive
article on the genetics and reproductive biology of Superman, and the
possibility of human-Kryptonian hybridization, may be found at

        http://www.cis.ufl.edu/~svw/superman.html

CAUTION: The tastefulness of the article may be called into question.
However, the wealth of information and the depth of the theoretical
background, in my opinion, more than makes up for any deficiencies of
decorum. You have been warned.

--
Ben Waggoner
Department of Integrative Biology
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720 USA