Full network of clitoral nerves mapped out for first time

Access to the research

• Several commenters note the Guardian piece makes the actual study hard to find and argue the bioRxiv preprint (and especially its PDF with images) should have been the primary link.
• Some explicitly share archive/proxy links to bypass paywalls and make the article easier to read.

Why dense nerve networks?

• Central question: why do “sensitive” areas need more nerves instead of just stronger brain mapping?
• Explanations offered:
  • More receptors give better spatial resolution (like more pixels on a screen).
  • Higher sampling density improves signal-to-noise; a single misfiring neuron would be too influential otherwise.
  • Peripheral “hardware” changes are simpler and more robust than complex central “software” mappings.
  • Nerves aren’t that metabolically expensive, so evolution has little pressure to minimize them.
• Others add:
  • The brain devotes disproportionate cortical area to important regions (sensory homunculus), so central amplification exists but builds on peripheral density.
  • Evolution is constrained and path-dependent; we get “good enough,” not optimal designs, with examples like the blind spot, cephalopod eyes, and male nipples.
  • Some push back that evolution could in principle create fewer but stronger nerves; outcome might just be historical contingency.

FGM, circumcision, and surgical outcomes

• One reader is surprised by data that ~22% of women undergoing clitoral reconstruction report worse orgasm; another clarifies that most still report no worsening or improvement, so surgery is net beneficial but risky.
• Several highlight the massive global prevalence of FGM, noting it also occurs in diaspora communities and mentioning hymen reconstruction in Europe (a specific “most common surgery” claim is challenged for lacking a source).
• Large subthread on male circumcision:
  • Some argue it’s important context when discussing genital mutilation; others see this as derailing a women-focused topic.
  • Circumcision is described as extremely common and legal for boys, with disputed medical benefits and sometimes severe complications, especially in traditional rites.
  • Multiple commenters converge on the view that nonconsensual genital cutting is problematic regardless of sex; disagreements remain about emphasis and “whataboutism.”

Medical history and omission narratives

• The article’s line that the clitoris “did not make it into” Gray’s Anatomy until the 1990s is heavily disputed.
• Commenters cite:
  • Historical inclusion of the clitoris in classical texts and earlier Gray’s editions.
  • Evidence that claims about a single editor deleting it for 50 years are at least oversimplified or partly false.
• Debate ensues:
  • One side sees this as an example of a modern “everyone before us were idiots/misogynists” meme.
  • Others argue systematic bias against women in medicine is real and omissions/understudy of female anatomy are consistent with that, even if specific myths about Gray’s are inaccurate.

Culture, language, and politics tangents

• Some zoom out to broader social engineering and modern politics, including current efforts to roll back women’s rights; others react that this is overblown or politicized for HN.
• Another side-thread explores:
  • How “offensive language” in cultural critique often means language that devalues a group in listeners’ minds, not just what that group finds insulting.
  • Renaming technical terms like “master/main” and “blacklist/whitelist”; disagreements over whether this is needless, helpful for clarity, or considerate toward marginalized groups.
  • Discussion of how cultural context shapes what is seen as harmful, neutral, or beneficial (e.g., different justifications offered locally for genital modification).

Historical notes and humor

• Historical references to early anatomical descriptions of the clitoris are mentioned, along with a novel about one such anatomist.
• Multiple jokes and memes appear:
  • Quips about male editors not being able to “find” the clitoris.
  • A remembered parody “Show HN: Clitly, my app for finding the Clitoris,” with links to archived imageboard threads.
• Overall tone mixes serious medical, ethical, and political discussion with occasional dark and technical humor.