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You really have to read some of her letter to get the full response and make up your ming as to whether this research is valuable. "This brings us back to the ducks. Male ducks force copulations on females, and males and females are engaged in a genital arms race with surprising consequences. Male ducks have elaborate corkscrew-shaped penises, the length of which correlates with the degree of forced copulation males impose on female ducks. Females are often unable to escape male coercion, but they have evolved vaginal morphology that makes it difficult for males to inseminate females close to the sites of fertilization and sperm storage. Males have counterclockwise spiraling penises, while females have clockwise spiraling vaginas and blind pockets that prevent full eversion of the male penis. [For those of us who had to look up e·ver·sion [i vúr’n, i vúrsh’n] (plural e·ver·sions) n medicine biology 1. turning inside out: the process or condition of being turned inside out eg eversion of the bladder ] Our latest study examined how the presence of other males influences genital morphology. My colleagues and I found that it does so to an amazing degree, demonstrating that male competition is a driving force behind these male traits that can be harmful to females. The fact that this grant was funded, after the careful scrutiny of many scientists and NSF administrators, reflects the fact that this research is grounded in solid theory and that the project was viewed as having the potential to move science forward (and it has), as well as fascinate and engage the public. The research has been reported on positively by hundreds of news sites in recent years, even Fox news. Most of the grant money was spent on salaries, putting money back into the economy. The commentary and headlines in some of the recent articles reflect outrage that the study was about duck genitals, as if there is something inherently wrong or perverse with this line of research. Imagine if medical research drew the line at the belt! Genitalia, dear readers, are where the rubber meets the road, evolutionarily. To fully understand why some individuals are more successful than others during reproduction, there may be no better place to look. The importance of evolutionary research on other species’ genitalia to the medical field has been recently highlighted in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. Generating new knowledge of what factors affect genital morphology in ducks, one of the few vertebrate species other than humans that form pair bonds and exhibit violent sexual coercion, may have significant applied uses in the future, but we must conduct the basic research first. In the meantime, while we engage in productive and respectful discussion of how we envision the future of our nation, why not marvel at how evolution has resulted in such counterintuitive morphology and bizarre animal behavior." MY TAKE: SO BOTH SEXES OF DUCKS HAVE GENITALIA IN THE FORM OF COMPETING CORKSCREWS AND MALE DUCKS INDULGE IN RAPE WHILE FEMALE DUCKS APPARENTLY HAVE THE MUSCLE ABILITY TO CUT MALES OFF AT THE PASS. WHO KNEW THIS WAS IMPORTANT IN UNDERSTANDING MALE/FEMALE RELATIONSHIPS IN HUMAN REPRODUCTION? I ONLY HOPE THE GAY COMMUNITY DOESN'T FIND OUT ABOUT THIS AFTER THE AWFUL WAY THEY'VE TREATED HARMLESS HAMSTERS.

this research is grounded in solid theory

Not just theory but solid theory. I want a grant to study duck belly buttons.

I have no idea why the post above didn’t have proper paragraphing or spacing. It did when I pasted it.

Oh, well, it is interesting if somewhat biased toward her own research as important for reasons that most of us won’t agree with.

MY TAKE: SO BOTH SEXES OF DUCKS HAVE GENITALIA IN THE FORM OF COMPETING CORKSCREWS AND MALE DUCKS INDULGE IN RAPE WHILE FEMALE DUCKS APPARENTLY HAVE THE MUSCLE ABILITY TO CUT MALES OFF AT THE PASS. WHO KNEW THIS WAS IMPORTANT IN UNDERSTANDING MALE/FEMALE RELATIONSHIPS IN HUMAN REPRODUCTION? I ONLY HOPE THE GAY COMMUNITY DOESN’T FIND OUT ABOUT THIS AFTER THE AWFUL WAY THEY’VE TREATED HARMLESS HAMSTERS.

What's with "even Fox news"?

Females are often unable to escape male coercion, but they have evolved vaginal morphology that makes it difficult for males to inseminate females close to the sites of fertilization and sperm storage. Males have counterclockwise spiraling penises, while females have clockwise spiraling vaginas and blind pockets that prevent full eversion of the male penis.

So, male Ducks'R Limited after all?