Episode: 7 Xenogenesis - Dawn: II: Family Chapters 7 & 8

Show Notes

In Episode 7, Richard and Michael discuss the messages woven by Octavia Butler in the story leading to a conversation on serious topics such as gender and fragility of our society.

Timestamps

00:00:32 - Intro
00:00:50 - Warning
00:01:15 - Chapter 7 predictions
00:02:10 - Chapter 7 introduction
00:03:10 - Discussion on the biological differences between humans and Oankali [1]
00:06:00 - Lilith being high after surgery
00:08:00 - Trade partners not to be treated equally - Kahguyaht
00:10:55 - Nikanj’s respect to Lilith
00:13:10 - “Ask my dad to show you his reproductive organ” - Nikanj
00:13:45 - Chapter 7 introduction ends
00:16:35 - Chapter 8 predictions
00:17:04 - Chapter 8 warning
00:17:18 - Chapter 8 introduction
00:17:40 - We are jealous of Lilith’s new ability
00:18:25 - Part 2 of captive breeding?
00:19:00 - Clarification on the flat transport used by the Oankali and discussion about hagfish [2 - 4]
00:22:51 - Discussion on the necessity of the Trade for Oankali and reproduction for humans
00:25:05 - We finally meet another human - Paul Titus
00:26:04 - Lilith goes straight to the point
00:28:00 - Margaret Mead [5]
00:28:31 - We learn more about the origins of Lilith and Paul and the state of the planet
00:30:23 - First warning sign
00:31:22 - Discussion on the characters and our perception of Nikanj and his gender [6
00:37:35 - Gender in some cultures - Fa’afafine in Samoa [7]
00:38:23 - Back to the Chapter 8 introduction
00:41:00 - Discussion on the hospital and childbirth [8 - 10]
00:44:33 - Second warning sign
00:45:52 - Truth bomb - a man with more than 70 children that he never met
00:47:30 - Paul gets aggressive and assaults Lilith
00:48:19 - Chapter 8 summary ends
00:49:45 - Discussion on the cultural genocide and the fragility of our society
00:58:11 - Discussion on Margaret Mead [5]
01:02:22 - Predictions of chapter 9
01:04:36 - Outro

References

Bacteria in our guts:

• [1] https://askabiologist.asu.edu/plosable/gut-microbiota - A short article about why bacteria in our digestive system are so useful for us.

Slime releasing animals:

• [2] https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/secrets-slime - Short article about slime
• [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagfish - Wikipedia article on Hagfish
• [4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8sw8BN-Xq0 - A video on the hagfish slime

Margaret Mead:

• [5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Mead - Wikipedia article on the anthropologist Margaret Mead.

Biological sex determination and mutations associated with it:

• [6] https://www.who.int/genomics/gender/en/index1.html - WHO article on all of the sex and gender associated issues.

Additional gender in some cultures:

• [7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fa%27afafine - the third gender that Michael couldn’t remember the name of, but here’s the link to what he was talking about. Problems with childbirth:

• [8] https://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=36&printable=1 – Open.edu module on the anatomy of female pelvis and foetal skull

• [9] https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/labor-birth-canal - Article on the Birth Canal Issues

• [10] https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristinakillgrove/2018/11/16/skeletons-of-pregnant-egyptian-woman-and-fetus-found-by-archaeologists-suggest-death-in-childbirth/ - Article on the finding of the pregnant woman with a foetus stuck in her birth canal

Intro: L’Etoile danse (Pt. 1) by Meydan Outro: Long Way Home by Spinning Ratio

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