[beavus]

Isn't this shorthand just too heavily relied upon because the thought that it implies is imbedded in the process?

Definitely not. At least not to the biologist. Still, I cringe when I hear it on TV documentaries because I'm sure there is some young kid out there watching who will get the wrong idea.

Unfortunately, there is no quick and easy way to describe it, so if the description has to be used repeatedly, it will always be the shorthand.

[Gondring]

Yep, I cringe, too. It's not always just some "young kid" who gets that idea from the documentaries, though, unfortunately. And like you said, there's no easy way to describe it without the shorthand now.