Since it's nearly Easter, we're going to share some slightly cursed egg knowledge. Let's talk about kiwis (the national bird of Aotearoa/New Zealand, not the fruit) and their frighteningly ginormous eggs. Credit: Rod Morris photography
Ostriches lay the biggest eggs, but kiwi eggs are by far the biggest as a proportion of body size. Kiwi eggs are up to a quarter of their body mass - that's the equivalent of a human giving birth to a four year old. Credit: Otorohanga Kiwi House
They can lay up to 100 eggs in their lifetime. Ouch.
As well as being huge, kiwi eggs are very, very yolky. Most bird eggs are about 35% yolk. Kiwi eggs are 65% yolk. This nutrition means baby kiwis hatch with open eyes, full feathers and able to walk quickly. They don't need to eat for up to two weeks after they're hatched. Credit: Grahm Jones/Columbu...
The relative maturity of baby kiwis is one theory as to why their eggs are so colossal - it may be beneficial to the birds to be able to practically stroll out of their eggs and not need to eat for a while.
However, the OTHER, arguably more cursed, theory about the size of kiwi eggs is in its evolutionary past, the kiwi was a much bigger bird. And when it got smaller, nature just forgot to set the egg size to Normal Size For Smallish Bird, and just kept it on Huge Bird.

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More from @vagina_museum

4 Apr
HAPPY EASTER! It's the perfect day for us to tell you all about JESUS'S VAGINA... or more specifically, medieval interpretations of Christ's side wound as, well... look at it. Page of a manuscript from '...Wound of Christ — Psalter a...
There are numerous depictions of Jesus's wound turned on its side, and shaped distinctly like a vulva. Arma Christi and Christ’s S...
Some surviving representations of the wound are worn, probably because people kissed and rubbed them. At least three medieval saints had visions - sometimes ecstatic - involving kissing or drinking from the wound. Book of Hours
Read 9 tweets
3 Apr
Good morning, We have another horrible egg fact for you today, and since it's Easter, it also includes baby bunnies. Awww, bless. 

Anyway, sorry, this is a horrible fact, and content warning for animal death.
Since at least ancient Egypt, people have wanted to know if they were pregnant or not. The Egyptians did it by peeing on barley seeds and looking at how quickly it sprouted. Then, throughout time, there were more tests, generally involving inspecting urine in some way or other.
The first accurate pregnancy test with solid scientific backing was developed in 1927. It still involved pee - specifically injecting pee into immature mice and then inspecting their ovaries a few days later.
Read 10 tweets
12 Mar
Good afternoon, let us take you on a brief history of the practice of "sex verification" in sport.

Content warning: this thread mentions genital mutilation, anti-intersex discrimination and body shaming.
The story of sex verification in sport begins with the original Olympic games in Ancient Greece. Let us take you back to around 400BC, and a woman named Kallipateira.
The original Olympics were distinctly men-only. Women weren't even allowed to cross the river Alpheios during the Games, and the penalty was death.

Kallipateira was a widow, and her son was boxing in the Olympics. She wanted to support him, so disguised herself as his trainer.
Read 28 tweets
24 Feb
This is incorrect and misleading. This is not cervical screening, and is not a smear test, and is not a replacement for a smear test. It's self-sampling for HPV from a vaginal swab.
It's impossible to perform a smear test on yourself unless you are incredibly flexible and have absolutely perfect aim to hit your cervix. Cervical smears are a procedure which you need someone to do for you, and you need that person to know what they're doing.
The self sampling pilot isn't cervical screening. Those who receive the kits are taking a swab from their vagina to check for Human Papillomavirus (HPV), a virus which can cause cervical cancer. People whose sample contains HPV will then be asked to go for a standard smear test.
Read 10 tweets
24 Feb
good afternoon, who would like to hear about a controversy about sending nudes into outer space?

well, we're going to tell you about a controversy about sending NUDES into OUTER SPACE...
in 1972 and 1973, the two Pioneer spacecraft were sent out to explore the outer solar system. being the first human-built objects to be able to achieve escape velocity from our solar system, it was decided to include a message should any aliens intercept them.
Carl Sagan was approached to design a plaque with a message from humanity, and Linda Sagan created the artwork, and the plaques were fixed to both spaceships.
Read 15 tweets
23 Feb
Good afternoon, vagina fans! It is @floschechter signing on to tweet about my cervical smear today!!

thread 👇
I was intending to live tweet it but it happened so fast I literally didn't have time!!! But I managed to nab some pictures and key info to share.
When I arrived, a receptionist met me at the door to sign me in. He gave me a new mask even though I was already wearing one. Not entirely sure why....

After about 3 minutes, the nurse called me in to the consulting room. Me holding up my old mask while wearing the new one
Read 16 tweets

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