I have no special knowledge of this, but it was fresh
on my mind since I use it in Gen. Psych and Research
Methods to ease students into testable theories and
evolution. I got my information from Steven Pinker's book
_How the Mind Works_. He cites Margie Profet's chapter
in Barkow, Cosmides, and Tooby's (1992) _The Adapted Mind_.
Pinker states: "Most plants have evolved dozens of toxins in
their tissues: insecticides, insect repellants, irritants, paralytics,
poisons, and other sand to throw in herbivores' gears. Herbivores
have in turn evolved countermeasures, such as a liver to detoxify
the poisons and the taste sensation we call bitterness to deter any
further desire to ingest them.....[Profet] documented that 1) plant toxins
in dosages that adults can tolerate can cause birth defects and induce
abortion when ingested by pregnant women, 2) pregnancy
sickness begins at the point when the embryo's organ systems
are being laid down and the embryo is most vulnerable to teratogens
but is growing slowly and has only a modest need for nutrients, 3)
pregnancy sickness wanes at the stage when the embryo's organ
systems are nearly complete and its biggest need is for nutrients
to allow it to grow" (p. 39-40) and about 6 other bits of supporting
evidence.
Pinker doesn't mention the gender difference, but it may be in
the Profet chapter.
TT
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Dr. Thomas A. Timmerman
Department of Psychology
Austin Peay State University
Clarksville, TN 37044
931-572-1248
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