Her Own Damn Fault (Part Umpty-Eleven)

This is a cool science story.

Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan have identified a hormone in semen that nudges a woman's body to ovulate. It's a finding that could potentially open up new testing and treatment of infertility in both women and men, and might explain some "oops" babies.

Researchers go looking for something, find it, find out it's not new, but that they've found a new function for it.

Veterinary biomedical sciences Prof. Gregg Adams, who is with the university's Western College of Veterinary Medicine, says he expected to find a brand new protein in the seminal fluid. Much to their surprise, they found this poorly-understood protein (called ovulation-inducing factor or OIF) is the same molecule as an old friend in the nervous system that's critical for normal neuron function.

"I didn't know whether to laugh or cry in my beer after that," Adams said.

On Twitter, Lynne A said: 'I bet the RWNJ Conservatives will make this about women.'

Easy-peasy, I said.

The presence of OIF may also explain why some women ovulate -- and get pregnant -- when they didn't think they were ovulating. Adams said follicles in the ovaries experience waves of activity, and it's on a third and final wave when the ovary spits out an egg. The presence of OIF from semen might be enough of a nudge to prompt an ovary to push out an egg on an earlier wave.

So, RWNJ will say: sluts have too much sex. Lotta that OIF stuff up there, fools the ovary into 'spitting out' an egg, and presto! It's the slut's fault!

BTW, in addition to 'spitting', there's more odd language in the piece.

In species like cows and humans, ladies ovulate in a cycle, but they, too, are influenced by the protein called OIF (or ovulation-inducing factor), Adams said.

Oo. Lady cows and lady humans.

We've come a long way, baby. ^NOT