Slog - Comments on Ghosts in the Womb http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/11/ghosts_in_the_womb That is a fetal elephant, in utero, scanned and photographed for a National Geographic documentary. Here is a golden retriever: Don't they look like ghosts? Luminous, insubstantial, like they're not really in the world yet, like they could disappear at any moment. I'd like to think of fetuses as tiny ghosts—that's almost sweeter and more poetic than the theory of homunculi. Slightly less poetic is this quote, from one of the filmmakers: "Animals were trained to sit still near the scanners and we also inserted cameras into the womb via the elephant's rectum—but it has been worth it.... Copyright 2008 Wed, 22 Nov 2006 11:14:45 -0800 Thu, 23 Nov 2006 18:52:41 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by L It's kinda like how scientists always look like they're working in futuristic space-stations in media images. With the right lighting, things can look pretty ethereal, even when they're not.

]]> L http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/11/ghosts_in_the_womb#c496180 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/11/ghosts_in_the_womb#c496180 Life Wed, 22 Nov 2006 11:17:11 -0800 Comment by giantladysquirrels How d'ya get to the womb via the rectum? That's some craaaazy anatomy...

]]> giantladysquirrels http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/11/ghosts_in_the_womb#c496183 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/11/ghosts_in_the_womb#c496183 Life Wed, 22 Nov 2006 11:18:47 -0800 Comment by charles my girlfriend is really looking forward to this one.

]]> charles http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/11/ghosts_in_the_womb#c496188 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/11/ghosts_in_the_womb#c496188 Life Wed, 22 Nov 2006 11:24:53 -0800 Comment by monkey Hey, that's how you get to MY womb TOO!

]]> monkey http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/11/ghosts_in_the_womb#c496191 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/11/ghosts_in_the_womb#c496191 Life Wed, 22 Nov 2006 11:33:46 -0800 Comment by kinaidos "we also inserted cameras into the womb via the elephant’s rectum—but it has been worth it."

But would the elephant agree?

And yes, elephant anatomy is strange:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/214195_elephant02.html

Which leads one to wonder. Imagine if humans shared elephant reproductive anatomy. What would the Catholic church then have to say about anal intercourse?

]]> kinaidos http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/11/ghosts_in_the_womb#c496193 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/11/ghosts_in_the_womb#c496193 Life Wed, 22 Nov 2006 11:35:08 -0800 Comment by kerri harrop i love these photos. thank you.

]]> kerri harrop http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/11/ghosts_in_the_womb#c496196 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/11/ghosts_in_the_womb#c496196 Life Wed, 22 Nov 2006 11:38:37 -0800 Comment by genevieve These photos are beautiful. I always think fetuses are pretty smashed up in the womb, but these both look like they're floating in space. Lookit the liddle claws on the pup! Sweeeet.

]]> genevieve http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/11/ghosts_in_the_womb#c496259 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/11/ghosts_in_the_womb#c496259 Life Wed, 22 Nov 2006 12:57:27 -0800 Comment by tinydoc They are pretty smashed in there at the end of pregnancy, Geneiveve. Curled into a ball, and in "slender" pregnant girls you can quite make out the baby's shape inside by touching the mother's belly. That should be a pic taken in mid pregnancy (human foetuses are that confortable around week 20). Pregnancy for elephants lasts 22 MONTHS, if I remember well, and that gives plenty of time to get a good pic.

]]> tinydoc http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/11/ghosts_in_the_womb#c496321 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/11/ghosts_in_the_womb#c496321 Life Wed, 22 Nov 2006 14:25:08 -0800 Comment by genevieve Thanks for the info, tinydoc. Both of these fetuses look so fully formed that I assumed they were near the end of term. Even their proportions seem right. The elephant, well, looks like an elephant (due to the long gestation, I guess?), and the dog looks like a newborn puppy (helloooooo big head!).

]]> genevieve http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/11/ghosts_in_the_womb#c496334 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/11/ghosts_in_the_womb#c496334 Life Wed, 22 Nov 2006 14:31:54 -0800 Comment by tinydoc I checked the National Geographic site and the elephant pic was aparently taken at the 15th month of pregnancy. The dog's pic seems to be at day 45 out of 60

]]> tinydoc http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/11/ghosts_in_the_womb#c496340 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/11/ghosts_in_the_womb#c496340 Life Wed, 22 Nov 2006 14:50:14 -0800 Comment by steady I guess we are different. We are told that human unborn are just like tumors or clumps of cells. But other mammals, as depicted above, are fully formed. I saw an elephant and a puppy not tumors or clumps.

]]> steady http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/11/ghosts_in_the_womb#c496429 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/11/ghosts_in_the_womb#c496429 Life Wed, 22 Nov 2006 18:50:20 -0800 Comment by Gloria Isn't that because this elephant and this puppy are much, much further into their development?

]]> Gloria http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/11/ghosts_in_the_womb#c496534 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/11/ghosts_in_the_womb#c496534 Life Thu, 23 Nov 2006 05:53:09 -0800 Comment by Scooby Don't If you ever tried aborting these animals, Liberals would have a FIT. PETA screaming murder, etc.

However, do it to a human, and it's a 'right'.

Wow, I'm amazed Liberals heads don't explode with all the contradictions that are abound in their tiny little brains.

]]> Scooby Don't http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/11/ghosts_in_the_womb#c496635 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/11/ghosts_in_the_womb#c496635 Life Thu, 23 Nov 2006 18:52:41 -0800