The male nipple has no purpose.
The nipples (which are just modified sweat glands) begin their development before the gender of the fetus is genetically determined (at about 6-8 weeks in humans). By the time the Y chromosome begins to influence development, the nipples have already started to form.
This is a characteristic of all male terrestrial mammals.
The nipples (which are just modified sweat glands) begin their development before the gender of the fetus is genetically determined (at about 6-8 weeks in humans). By the time the Y chromosome begins to influence development, the nipples have already started to form.
This is a characteristic of all male terrestrial mammals.
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I am an MD. The reason that you have nipples is so that your species can provide milk to your infant young. The great majority of the genes necessary to produce a human female are scattered all over the genome and are not found just on the sex chromosomes, as you might think at first glance. Biology is very geared toward reproduction, and the female of the species is by far the more important one when reproduction is concerned. Therefore, your genome is primarily set up to produce females, and the male of the species is kind of an afterthought. For this reason, embryos begin their development heading toward the female destination, and are only later modified to be male if sufficient testosterone is present during development. Check out the line that goes from your rectum forward to the tip of your penis. This is the suture line where your female anatomy sewed itself together, eliminating your labia majora. Your testicles started out in the female position of your body, and only later descended into your scrotum. In short, you are a modified female. If you were to be castrated and then were given large doses of female hormones, you would grow breasts and your face would soften somewhat into a more female look. Some transvestites actually go this far to change genders. So get used to it. Your gender is just an afterthought.
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The reason that men have nipples goes way back to development. Humans have 22 pairs of autosomes and one pair of sex chromosomes. Men have XY sex chromosomes and women have XX. During fetal development, everyone develops female by default until genes from the Y chromosome are expressed. The Y chromosome, once activated drives development of male traits. This occurs after the nipples have formed. So essentially you were a girl for a short time, then your Y chromosome kicked in and breast tissue didn't develop.
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decoration.