Facebook

angry rabbit in grass — By Eliza Diamond on Unsplash

A recent study in the journal PNAS injected rabbits with hormones to look at a potential link between the female orgasm and ovulation. The stock images (as seen below) used to promote the study had scientists and journalists up in arms on Twitter.

PNAS tweet screenshot - female orgasm research done in rabbits — A screenshot of how PNAS used stock images to promote a recent study.

Twitter: @JNRutherford

I'll let the tweets speak for themselves:

1. This study was in rabbits. RABBITS.

2. That whooshing sound? That's the sound of the opportunity to post cute, like-getting lil' rabbits going right over PNAS' head. https://t.co/EaZ77Hx4Sk
— Bethany Brookshire (@BeeBrookshire) October 6, 2019

If female orgasm were evolutionarily intended to induce ovulation why does the ability to orgasm develop before the physiological ability to reproduce? https://t.co/mbGNWS5x7d
— Jennifer Gunter (@DrJenGunter) October 6, 2019

People are mad about a scientific journal using this photo ... but not about it being another study whose premise is that female orgasms are some bizarre mystery of nature. Like all female physiology must be explained as a means to pregnancy ... and this study of rabbits is proof https://t.co/nIySSVRW90
— James Hamblin (@jameshamblin) October 7, 2019

Won’t link to it. BUT. Rabbits are induced ovulators, i.e. intercourse triggers ovulation. So this is a bad system in which to test a flawed hypothesis. But way to suggest orgasm leads to pregnancy and legitimatizing the myth that getting pregnant means you “enjoyed it.” pic.twitter.com/EmBCwnFGHC
— Dr. Julienne Rutherford, professional placentrix (@JNRutherford) October 6, 2019

This is SO WRONG change the image the study is about rabbits. JFC. https://t.co/z8zoyg6Rn5
— Sarah Parcak (@indyfromspace) October 6, 2019

Dear @PNASNews - this is not OK https://t.co/cpPXvyigSd - picture is not appropriate, study is about rabbits not humans, this Tweet should be retracted and apologized for
— Jonathan Eisen (@phylogenomics) October 6, 2019

Misleading blurb and the wrong photo for a study on rabbits treated with ovulation drugs. Come on @PNASNews @pnas! We expect you to do better. If using a photo for this study then we want to see what a female rabbit orgasm looks like and not a human model faking one. https://t.co/8ZbgQKn5j8
— Michal Tal (@ImmunoFever) October 6, 2019

On 6th October (9:24 PM EST), the PNAS journal offered an apology and took down the offending tweets.

Recent tweets that went out from @PNASNews about the paper, “An experimental test of the ovulatory homolog model of female orgasm,” were inappropriate and offensive. We have taken the tweets down. We apologize and are reviewing the decision-making with those involved.
— PNAS (@PNASNews) October 7, 2019