Do men have an extra rib? Professor Gabby Yearwood trolled online as videos of students laughing goes viral

A question on the biological differences between men and women prompted Gabby Yearwood, an anthropology professor at the University of Pittsburgh, to get laughed at by students.

A recent graduate from the University of Kentucky, Riley Gaines, who participated in the NCAA Championship in 2022 and tied for fifth place along with Lia Thomas, a transgender-identifying swimmer, delivered a speech at the University of Pittsburgh about men’s participation in women’s sports. She asked Gabby Yearwood:

“If you were to dig up two humans 100 years from now, both a man and a woman, would you be able to tell the difference strictly off of bones?”

However, Professor Yearwood instantly rejected the notion that skeletal evidence can be used by researchers to determine a deceased person’s s*x and replied with a "No."

The audience instantly erupted in raucous laughter, prompting Gabby Yearwood to ask why he was being subjected to the mockery since he was the purported expert in the room. While the audience still did not stop their laughter, the professor challenged the attendees about his credentials in anthropology, claiming he has a Ph.D.

However, to answer the main question: apart from the people who may have special conditions, men and women are usually born with the same number of bones in their ribs.

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Riley Gaines says men have an extra rib after Gabby Yearwood negates biological differences

Leftist activists in the field of anthropology have recently encouraged their colleagues not to classify human skeletal remains as female or male, as well as ignore racial ancestry-related evidence. This was sought over concerns that by classifying their remains under the gender category, they may render assumptions about the professed gender identities of the deceased individuals.

Riley Gaines spoke to the Daily Wire about her verbal interaction with Gabby Yearwood and said that she set him up on purpose because as far as she has learned, skeletal remains are among the primary pieces of evidence considered by anthropologists when determining a deceased individual’s s*x.

Gaines noted:

“Every single rational person knows the answer: men have narrower hips, their skulls are different, they have an extra rib, their femurs are longer, their jaws are different.”

She continued that when Gabby Yearwood said “no,” which highlighted that even a Ph.D-holding scholar was willing to negate a scientifically proven fact to put off the perception of s*x being a social construct.

However, Gaines' statement about men having extra ribs is not always true as most individuals are born with a total of 24 ribs - 12 ribs on each side of the body. Some people are born with less than 24 ribs, a condition that is called agenesis of the ribs. On the other hand, some are born with more than 24 ribs, which are called supernumerary ribs.

The first 7 sets of ribs in an individual are called true ribs. The next three pairs of ribs are known as false ribs, which do not connect to the sternum individually. The 11th and 12th sets of ribs are called floating ribs.

More than 24 ribs, i.e., supernumerary ribs, can be seen in 0.5% of the population consisting of both males and females.

The common belief is that females have extra ribs than males - a notion adapted from the biblical story of Adam and Eve. However, this lacks factual evidence as most people, irrespective of their s*x, have the same number of ribs.

Although researchers have noted that it is rare, an extra pair of cervical ribs are more common in females than males.

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The internet trolled Gabby Yearwood as they mockingly called him "the expert in the room"

The Independent Women's Forum shared a video clip of the exchange between Riley Gaines and professor Gabby Yearwood, ridiculing the latter's response. Many called the professor "woke" and criticized his notions.

Riley Gaines advocates raising awareness about the risks posed to women by the erosion of spaces reserved for females by radical gender theorists. She is currently working with the Independent Women’s Forum to voice her opinions. Gaines has stated:

“As a whole, we want to put off this farce that we’re inclusive, kind, accepting, loving, and tolerant, but in reality, to deny the truth of what a man and a woman is, and to allow men to infiltrate women’s spaces and our sports that were once s*x-protected, that is not kind.”

She called the situation rather exclusive as it excludes biologically female athletes and the females in general whom these s*x-protected categories and spaces were created to protect.

Students who attended Riley Gaines’s speech were broadly supportive of her. She also credited the Pittsburgh Police Department, who assured her that she could proceed with her conversation with minimal disruptions from protesters. Gaines said that although some people opposed her ideas, the general reception was great.