Greta Thunberg mocks climate change deniers by citing ‘penis shrinking’ research
Reproductive health expert suggests pollution to blame
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Greta Thunberg has mocked climate change deniers by citing research that claims human penises are getting smaller because of increased pollution.
Alongside a link to an article on the topic, the 18-year-old wryly commented on Twitter that she now expects to see everyone at the next climate strike.
More than 50,000 people have shared her tweet since she posted it on Thursday evening.
Her sense of humour won her plaudits among social media users, with one writing: “Say goodbye to the climate movement being dominated by women.”
The study in question was carried out by Dr Shanna Swan, a reproductive health expert at the Mount Sinai Medical Centre in New York.
In her new book Count Down, Dr Swan claims that chemicals are having a profoundly negative effect on the state of sexual development.
Read more:
As a result, the epidemiologist predicts a fertility crisis in the near future due to falling sperm count, saying “the current state of reproductive affairs can’t continue much longer without threatening human survival”.
Her latest research builds on a study she co-authored in 2017, which found that sperm count in the west was almost 60 per cent lower in 2011 than in 1973.
Dr Swan thinks chemicals are to blame both for the reduction in sperm count and also for men having smaller penises.
Her research began by looking at phthalate, a chemical found in plastic production which can be detected in toys, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
After studying phthalate syndrome in rats, she discovered that foetuses exposed to the chemical had a higher chance of being born with shrunken genitals.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments