Arenamontanus wrote:

Here is a science story that might make a good plot in EP: http://uk.io9.com/5774873/a-protein-that-could-destroy-all-men-but-leave... (the real story: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v471/n7336/full/nature09757.html ) Basically, in fruit flies the MSL gene produces a protein that keeps males alive. Block the gene and they die. Now, if humans have a similar gene (and it is not too unlikely, http://www.sdbonline.org/fly/polycomb/msl3-2.htm ) then there might be a way of killing human males. Just some RNA interference, some chemical constructed to inactivate the msl protein or a pathogen that infects people and produces a msl blocker... and no more males. Might be an interesting bioweapon. And a reason why furies are female - it was already used in a few early conflicts. Sure, modern morphs have supposedly fixed the MSL bug, but can you be sure?

It states in the Core rule book that all Furies are Women because women are easier to "control". It has to do with the fact that under heavy emotional distress, women tend to cope better and can still listen to words of command. Men tend to suffer emotional shock and either go crazy or become shell shocked.

Arenamontanus wrote:

Yes yes yes, but who cares about what the core book says? :-) (Besides, if this is the real explanation, wouldn't that mean male ego's would be worthless even if sleeved in female bodies, not to mention synthmorphs? And if it is all about the hormones, why not just add them to the male morph brain while keeping the body keyed to androgens?)

An even easier answer would be to set up hormone regulation after morph production is complete, using it to prevent the redevelopment of the body (so-called "man tits"). That's one of the reasons that I make it allowable that any fury can be male rather than female if an endocrine control system is purchased with it.

My guess is that if gene therapy is needed to make a male more obedient to the word of command, and females are naturally obedient (I don't mean to offend anyone but I'm going from posts above and info from the Core rule book), then from a purely corporate POV, it would make sense to save the gene therapy bill on male furies and just make females. Just because you can do something, doesn't mean your should (or that it is economical). On a side note, I wonder if female endurance has something to do with furies being all female? Female physiology is much better at pain tolerance and prolonged activity to male physiology (which is why in the last 20 years that females have been allowed to run the marathon their times have quickly started to match males and now starting to surpass them). Males may be stronger, but females could physically last longer in prolonged battle.

TBRMInsanity wrote:

My guess is that if gene therapy is needed to make a male more obedient to the word of command, and females are naturally obedient (I don't mean to offend anyone but I'm going from posts above and info from the Core rule book), then from a purely corporate POV, it would make sense to save the gene therapy bill on male furies and just make females. Just because you can do something, doesn't mean your should (or that it is economical).

Not naturally obedient, but naturally less aggressive than men. Women don't have copious amounts of testosterone pumping through their veins (although they do have some), and that is a key component to why men have aggression instincts. However, gene therapies aren't particular necessary if the elements that make a fury a good soldier are built into its genetic code; every single fury created will have these aspects automatically. Especially odd to me is that even the female furies don't have endocrine control systems. Had I been in charge of the fury development project, I would have made absolutely sure that the endocrine control system was an innate organ of EVERY fury produced, so that gender no longer matters.

TBRMInsanity wrote:

On a side note, I wonder if female endurance has something to do with furies being all female? Female physiology is much better at pain tolerance and prolonged activity to male physiology (which is why in the last 20 years that females have been allowed to run the marathon their times have quickly started to match males and now starting to surpass them). Males may be stronger, but females could physically last longer in prolonged battle.

Today, I agree. However, this difference is going to disappear as genetic engineering becomes standard. By the time of Eclipse Phase, technologies that allow you to manipulate hormones and mental development will be so common that it's more likely that the only difference between genders will be the parts between your legs. In fact, I might go so far as to say that the fury's all-female design might be an artifact of earlier morph design constraints. Endocrine control tech might not have existed when furies were first built, and female bodies were likely used to avoid the problems of male aggression. By 10 AF, these hurdles have been overcome, but most hypercorps likely see no reason to change things that have no need for change, instead focusing efforts on improving the fury where necessary, rather than improving on a fix that does not really need to be improved. It might have also been a socially-respectful decision... choosing to make furies female in an attempt to curb rape during warfare.

TBRMInsanity wrote:

Is the cost of endocrine control trivial? If so I agree with Decivre that the choice is just "because we have always done it this way". Otherwise if nature will give you something for free, why not take it?

The cost of endocrine control is high, but I personally think that it's possible that bioware implants aren't really implanted when they are in stock morphs. Instead, I think they are a natural part of that morph's genetic structure. If the fury morph had endocrine control naturally, it means that they grow with them in the vat (or if natural births are possible, grow inside them during gestation).

Arenamontanus wrote:

Which of course raises a few interesting and squicky work possibilities. Reminds me of a short story by Nancy Kress (?) about women working as surrogate mothers for biotech products. "Oh, I specialize in birthing furies. Feisty little children, and I don't have to listen to all that classical music the Menton mothers have to listen to."

Yeah you have to listen to Heavy Death Metal instead. :D

Arenamontanus wrote:

"Oh, I specialize in birthing furies. Feisty little children, and I don't have to listen to all that classical music the Menton mothers have to listen to."

"Eeh... it's a living." --Bugs Bunny