Does a millipede have a penis? Well ... define 'penis'

PLUS: How work became an inescapable hellhole, and why we need to rethink how we talk about QAnon. View this email in your browser  |  Manage newsletter subscriptions  09.27.20 You, human, you probably think you know what a penis is. But if you take a slightly less anthropocentric view, you'll realize that across the animal kingdom, genitalia come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Some are even multifunctional! Spiders, for example, use their penis-things to taste and smell and make music. In her new book Phallacy: Life Lessons from the Animal Penis, Emily Willingham explores the natural history of this particular organ; in an excerpt for WIRED, Willingham, who completed a postdoctoral fellowship in urology, examines gonopods, pedipalps, and mollusks to try and define whether or not some of the more curious reproductive organs qualify as an actual penis. We had a few additional questions for her. —Sarah Fallon | Deputy Editor, WIRED What gave you the idea to do the book? It just popped into my head. It's one of those experiences when it seems so obvious once it presents itself. I mean, I completed a postdoc in penises. I had been working on a proposal about brains and then my own brain just served up this, "Hey, are there any books out there about all the different animal penises?" And when I dug into it, nothing really focused on a comparative look across the animal kingdom for some contextualization of our own. I emailed my agent pretty much a single line asking about the idea, and we were on the phone within the hour. What is the weirdest fact you uncovered? I think I'd choose the genitalia that can "see" light, using photoreceptors, just as eyes do. I would never have predicted that as a function of genitalia. What is the broader impact you hope it has in our understanding of genitalia / male dominance? I hope a couple of relevant messages come across: We should not reduce masculinity or humans to genitalia and should instead reconvene around the human brain and its remarkably complex expression. Also, human penises are enjoyable but not especially awe inspiring compared to the rest of the animal kingdom, so please quit with the unsolicited dick pics. Finally, we really really really need to spend more time on vaginas. Have you ever actually picked up a spider to look at its little intromittens? I have not because I do try to leave animals alone as much as possible, but I have definitely zoomed in with my phone camera to take a picture and check out those intromittens. Spiders are so cute.   GROSS ANATOMY Does a Millipede Have a Penis? Well ... Define 'Penis' BY EMILY WILLINGHAM From gonopods to pedipalps, nature has a lot of ways to get gametes where they need to go.   BACKCHANNEL How Work Became an Inescapable Hellhole BY ANNE HELEN PETERSEN Instead of optimizing work, technology has created a nonstop barrage of notifications and interactions. Six months into a pandemic, it's worse than ever.   INFORMATION ECOLOGY We Need to Talk About Talking About QAnon BY WHITNEY PHILLIPS Describing and debunking the phenomenon is not enough. We need to explain why and how it came to be.   TWEET THREAT How Twitter Survived Its Biggest Hack—and Plans to Stop the Next One BY NICHOLAS THOMPSON AND BRIAN BARRETT On July 15, a massive Twitter hack rocked the inside and out. On Election Day, that's not an option.   IDEAS Covid-19 Vaccines Could End Up With Bias Built Right In BY ROXANNE KHAMSI Some of the leading candidates might work better for the richest people in the world, simply on account of how they're made.   OPINION Trump's TikTok Farce Ignores the Lessons of the Red Scare BY ANUPAM CHANDER The president's claims that the app is a national security threat don't top the First Amendment.         This e-mail was sent to you by WIRED. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, wired@newsletters.wired.com, to your address book.   View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe or manage your newsletter subscriptions