Lucien Alperstein

59% of the population on the whole was female.

And of the albatross pairs that were counted,

31%, so almost a third, were lesbians.

One couple in particular had been observed together for 18 years.

So this isn't just a one-off for a season, this is the long-term commitment.

And don't get me started on the microbes.

Okay, I'll start.

Just briefly, microbes which are living things generally too small to see with the naked eye.

So typically, you'd think of bacteria, viruses, and some fungi.

They throw what we considered normal straight in the bin.

And a few of my favorite examples that relate to pairing include, one, rainbow families, or as we scientists call them, biofilms.

They live in multi-species communities.

And these exist in deep-sea hydrothermal vents, in our guts, in most animals' guts, in their skin, in dogs' snouts, on your teeth.

This is the typical way that most microorganisms live, and it provides security, structure, and a place to share resources and skills.

The other thing is the microbiome, and I wanted to bring that up because it questions where our edges are and what it is to be whole.

We know that microbiomes are essential for health.

Without an intact microbiome, we probably wouldn't live.

If we're thinking about successfully raising young, it's not just...

the human parents, but a whole multi-species assemblage of microorganisms that we also need to be involved in the parenting.

So is it a sperm provider that's really doing a lot of the care, or is it actually the bifidobacterium that helps form a successful digestive system that produces a healthy offspring?