Science, as defined by the Miriam online dictionary, is the state of knowing knowledge as distinguished from ignorance or misunderstanding. Where then does this knowledge come from and how can we be sure it is correct? We know as humans that to reproduce a male and a female of our species must come together, copulate and fertilize an egg. There is then a nine-month gestation period, which can be a little longer or shorter, and at the end another human is born. This new human will either be male or female, most of the time. The scientific community, for the most part, all agree that this is how humans reproduce. The important word in that statement for authors Harry Collins and Trevor Pinch is the word agree. .
Their stance on science is that is it a field ruled more by agreement then truth. They seem to be saying that if nine scientists see a certain phenomena as being one way, then that must be so, because nine people have agreed on it, not because that is the reality. A case Collins and Pinch see as a prime example of how science is ruled in this way, is the case of the Whiptail Lizard.
The Whiptail Lizard, or more importantly the Cnemidophorus Uniparens, is a species of lizard that reproduce through a process called parthenogenesis. There are no "males" or "females" of this species, just those labeled "female" because they give birth. This lizard, it seems, is able to give birth without having to copulate, they can fertilize and carry an egg all by themselves. That is to say, where we as humans need a male and a female of our species to reproduce it seems Cnemidophorus Uniparens needs only a "female". Where then is the controversy? The argument is whether or not the sex like behavior observed in these animals is important to the reproductive cycle or is a product of captivity. .
The behavior observed is one that seems to mirror the courtship ritual of Uniparens's bisexual ancestor.