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Discovering where babies really came from

By Adrian Barnett

31 May 2006

“MUMMY, where do babies come from?” It’s the question that can freeze the heart of any parent, especially because your curious little mite will most likely choose the most public place possible to ask it. No matter what euphemistic answer you mumble, you are likely to have – tucked away and childproofed – an understanding of conception that would have stunned even the brightest brains 400 years ago.

Back then it was perfectly acceptable to believe that a woman could give birth to a lamb, or that a cat and a rabbit could successfully cross-breed. Birds, it was known for sure, laid…

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