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Article: DNA tests find phony seal penises.
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- January 3, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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For just U.S.$500, a shop in Toronto will supply a seal penis to anyone who wants to make a tonic for a flagging lover. Just check the shop's gold lame boxes--labeled "Product of Canada," like its maple syrup.
The buyer had better beware, warns a team of Canadian scientists who have analyzed DNA from supposed seal penises sold in traditional Chinese medicine shops in Canada, the United States, and Asia. The survey turned up some bona fide seal organs, but also parts of domestic cattle, dogs, and what may be protected species.
"When you buy a seal penis, you don't know what it is," grumbles David M. Lavigne of the University of Guelph in Ontario. He ...