Dr. Philip Njemanze, Chairman of the Global Prolife Alliance (GPA) and a neuroscientist, has penned a letter to Pope Francis addressing the gender differences in the human brain.
Njemanze’s letter comes on the heels of the Pontiff’s recent announcement allowing Catholic priests to bless same-sex marriages.
A distinguished neuroscientist and a member of the Board of Trustees (BOT) for the Association of Catholic Medical Practitioners of Nigeria, based in Owerri, Imo State, Dr. Njemanze brings his expertise to the forefront in his letter to the Pontiff.
The content of the letter delves into the nuanced understanding of gender differences within the human brain, presenting a perspective that adds depth to the ongoing discussions within the Catholic community.
Dr. Njemanze’s also letter offers a thoughtful exploration of the intersection between scientific knowledge and theological principles, providing valuable insights for consideration.
The juxtaposition of scientific expertise and faith-based perspectives in Dr. Njemanze’s letter adds a layer of complexity to the ongoing discourse surrounding gender, brain science, and the evolving stance of the Catholic Church.
The full letter reads:
23rd December, 2023.
His Holiness Pope Francis
Apostolic Palace 00120 Vatican City
Your Holiness,
GENDER DIFFERENCES IN THE HUMAN BRAIN
I extend my respectful greetings and trust this correspondence finds you in good health and spirits. On 12th March 2023, I took the liberty of reaching out to Your Holiness subsequent to your compelling interview with Argentina’s La Nacion newspaper. Your profound insights on the hazards of contemporary gender ideology, characterizing it as “one of the most dangerous ideological colonizations,” and your discerning observation regarding its potential to obscure the distinctions and value assigned to men and women, resonated deeply with me.
More recently, on 18th December 2023, the Dicastery of the Doctrine of Faith presented the Declaration Fiducia Supplicans (Pleading with Courage), a development that has sparked a renewed global discourse on the subject of Gender ideology. While the intricacies of the Fiducia Supplicans lie beyond my area of expertise, I feel compelled to engage with the pertinent matter of Gender Neurobiology.
In this communication, I humbly seek to share insights from my work as a neuroscientist, illuminating the intricate realm of Gender Neurobiology. This area holds profound implications for comprehending the cognitive disparities between men and women. Your Holiness, your recent contributions to the discourse on gender ideology have rekindled interest in exploring the scientific dimensions of this intricate and vital subject.
I am writing again to support, from a scientific point of view, the long-held doctrine of the Church on Gender Complementarity rather than Gender Sameness, as proposed by Neo-paganistic Western Secularism of the Culture of Death.
As one of the world’s leading neuroscientists who participated in the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) study of the Brain in Space (Neurolab), a program mandated by the United States Congress in the Decade of the Brain, my scientific research interest is on Gender Differences in the Human Brain on Earth and in Space.
Here are the notable highlights of our groundbreaking scientific discoveries:
A.1. General Intelligence Localization: Unveiling Gender-Specific Hemispheric Dominance
In a pioneering contribution to the scientific literature, we established landmark developments in understanding Gender Differences in the Brain. Our groundbreaking study in 2004, utilizing functional transcranial Doppler Sonography, revealed a striking revelation: in men, general intelligence is distinctly localized in the right hemisphere, while in women, it resides in the opposite left hemisphere [EXHIBIT 1: Njemanze PC. Cerebral lateralization and general intelligence: Gender differences in a transcranial Doppler study. Brain and Language 92 (2005) 234–239. Read at: [ http://chidicon.com/files/Njemanze_Gender_Intelligence.pdf ]. These findings not only marked a pivotal moment in neuroscience but also established a critical foundation for understanding cognitive disparities between genders. Furthermore, our revelation demonstrated that the right hemisphere processes information holistically in men, while the left hemisphere engages in analytical processing in women. These insights have garnered confirmation from eminent American neuroscientists [EXHIBIT 2: Tranel D, Damasio H, Denburg NL & Bechara A. Does gender play a role in the functional asymmetry of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex? Brain (2005), 128, 2872–2881 [ https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awh643 ] using advanced imaging techniques such as positron emission tomography (PET) and Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy [EXHIBIT 3: Jung RE, Haier RJ, Yeo RA, Rowland LM, Petropoulos H, Levine AS, Sibbitt WL, Brooks WM. Sex differences in N-acetylaspartate correlates of general intelligence: an 1H-MRS study of the normal human brain. Neuroimage. 2005 Jul 1;26(3):965-72. ( https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2005.02.039 ). Our contribution not only challenges conventional wisdom but also reshapes the understanding of the intricate relationship between brain structure and cognitive function.
A.2. Facial Processing Dynamics: Decoding Hemispheric Specialization
In another groundbreaking revelation, our research shed light on the nuanced domain of facial processing. We unveiled that, in men, facial processing unfolds in the right hemisphere, while in women, this intricate cognitive task is carried out in the left hemisphere [EXHIBIT 4: Njemanze PC. Cerebral lateralisation for facial processing: gender-related cognitive styles determined using Fourier analysis of mean cerebral blood flow velocity in the middle cerebral arteries. Laterality. 2007 Jan;12(1):31-49. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17090448/. PMID: 17090448; [ https://www.chidicon.com/files/Laterality2007.pdf ]. This discovery, rooted in advanced Fourier analysis, not only advances our understanding of gender-related cognitive styles but also provides a significant contribution to the field of neural processing of facial information. Our meticulous approach has paved the way for a more nuanced comprehension of how the brain intricately navigates the complexities of facial recognition, an essential aspect of human interaction and communication.
A.3. Under Environmental Stress: Implications for Neural Adaptation in Space Exploration
Our exploration into the intricacies of facial processing under environmental stress factors, such as the microgravity conditions experienced during space flight, has unveiled compelling insights. In the face of neuro-adaptational changes in the extreme stress conditions of space travel, we observed a distinctive pattern in cerebral blood flow during facial processing. Men exhibited an initial lateralization of cerebral blood flow to the left hemisphere, while women showcased a lateralization to the right hemisphere [EXHIBIT 5: Njemanze PC. Asymmetry in cerebral blood flow velocity with the processing of facial images during head-down rest. Aviat Space Environ Med. 2004 Sep;75(9):800-5. PMID: 15460633. [ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15460633/ ]. This striking observation suggests that under the unique stressors of space travel, men and women exhibit differential neural responses during facial processing. Such findings carry profound implications for understanding how gender-specific cognitive functions may adapt and respond to the challenges posed by the space environment.
A.4. Color Processing Dynamics: Unveiling Hemispheric Specialization in Human Perception
Our research into color processing, differentiating between men and women, has uncovered a captivating panorama of hemispheric specialization. While men process color in the right hemisphere, women engage in this cognitive task within the left hemisphere [EXHIBIT 6: Njemanze PC. Gender-related asymmetric brain vasomotor response to color stimulation: a functional transcranial Doppler Spectroscopy study. Exp Transl Stroke Med. 2010 Nov 30;2(1):21. doi: 10.1186/2040-7378-2-21. PMID: 21118547; PMCID: PMC3006356. [ https://etsmjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/2040-7378-2-21 ]. Furthermore, our investigation into the computational color space has revealed an intriguing dynamic – men and women possess opposite axes of orientation in their brains [EXHIBIT 7: Njemanze PC. Gender-related differences in physiologic color space: a functional transcranial Doppler (fTCD) study. Exp Transl Stroke Med. 2011 Feb 10;3(1):1. doi: 10.1186/2040-7378-3-1. PMID: 21310045; PMCID: PMC3050757. [ https://etsmjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/2040-7378-3-1 ]. These revelations not only deepen our comprehension of neural processes related to color perception but also underscore the individualized nature of cognitive responses to visual stimuli.
A.5. Gender-Specific Color Processing in Mice: Bridging the Gap Between Species
Extending our exploration into color processing, we ventured into the realm of rodents to understand the gender-specific nuances in color perception. In male mice, color processing unfolds in the left brain, while female mice exhibit this cognitive task in the right brain. This groundbreaking revelation, demonstrated through Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Positron Emission Tomography (MRI/PET) in collaboration with the Helmholtz Institute Dresden at the University of Leipzig, Germany, unveils a novel aspect of gender-specific neural processing in a non-human species [EXHIBIT 8: Njemanze PC, Kranz M, Amend M, Hauser J, Wehrl H, Brust P. Gender differences in cerebral metabolism for color processing in mice: A PET/MRI Study. PLoS One. 2017 Jul 19;12(7):e0179919. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0179919. PMID: 28723938; PMCID: PMC5516971.
[ https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0179919 ]. This cross-species revelation not only highlights the universality of gender-specific cognitive patterns but also contributes to a broader understanding of the evolutionary aspects of neural processing across different organisms.
A.6. The Duality of Light: Bridging Quantum Physics with Gender Neurobiology
In a groundbreaking exploration, we delved into the fascinating intersection of Quantum Physics and Gender Neurobiology, unraveling how male and female mice process light differently. Our study revealed that male mice, within the left visual cortex, engage in the spectral analysis of light waves, perceiving light as a wave. In contrast, female mice process light as particles within the right visual cortex, demonstrating light particle processing through the quantum superposition model [EXHIBIT 9: Njemanze PC, Kranz M & Brust P. Gender Differences in Cerebral Metabolism Induced by Polarized Light in Mice Brain: A Quantum Coherence Model. J Nuclear Med Radioactive Subs 2020, 3(3): 000135; https://medwinpublishers.com/IJNMRS/gender-differences-in-cerebral-metabolism-induced-by-polarized-light-in-mice-brain-a-quantum-coherence-model.pdf ]. This unique revelation not only bridges the gap between the realms of quantum physics and neuroscience but also sheds light on the intricacies of sensory perception in male and female mice.
A.7. Differential Neural Networks in Mice: Unveiling Gender-Specific Mechanisms of Color Processing
Our exploration into the neural networks governing color processing in mice has brought to light distinctive mechanisms within male and female subjects. Through Fourier time series analysis, we unraveled the nuanced intricacies of color processing in the ventral stream for male mice. In contrast, female mice exhibited color processing in the dorsal stream, showcasing a marked divergence in the neural pathways responsible for this cognitive task [EXHIBIT 10: Njemanze, P. C., Kranz, M., & Brust, P. (2018). Fourier analysis of cerebral metabolism of glucose: Gender differences in mechanisms of color processing in the ventral and dorsal streams in mice. Forecasting, 1(1), 121-142. https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9394/1/1/10 ]. This revelation contributes not only to our understanding of gender-specific cerebral organization but also unveils the intricate neural machinery governing color perception in a species beyond humans.
Summary: Evolutionary Trends Supporting Creationism
In synthesizing the wealth of insights gleaned from our extensive research on Gender Neurobiology, one cannot ignore the broader implications for understanding the human experience. The intricate and divergent cognitive processes observed in men and women, even extending into the realm of quantum phenomena and neural networks in mice, underscore the complexity of Creation. These revelations align with the profound wisdom articulated in [Genesis 5:2] Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and called them humans[a] when they were created. It is postulated that God, in His divine wisdom, created two equal yet distinct variants of Homo Sapiens—male and female—designed to be complementary in the sacred union of marriage and family. The evolutionary trends observed in our studies lend credence to the notion that the intricate tapestry of gender-specific cognitive functions reflects the divine intention of harmonious coexistence and collaboration between the two genders, echoing the timeless teachings of Creationism.
I express my gratitude for your time and consideration and eagerly anticipate the prospect of discussing these matters further, contributing to the ongoing dialogue.
With profound respect,
PCNjemanze
Academician Prince Dr Philip C. Njemanze MD (Hons)
Chairman, Global Prolife Alliance (GPA), for the Council on National Policies; BOT member, Association of Catholic Medical Practitioners of Nigeria, Owerri, Archdiocese, for Ethics Committee.
Copies sent to: Bishop Conferences in Africa, Europe, Asia and America, Secretary General of the United Nations, Head of States of all UN member countries, United States Congress, European Union Parliament, National Parliaments, UN Ambassadors, UN Agencies on Human Rights, African Union, Organization of American States, ASEAN, World Medical Association, Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC), ECOWAS, ILO, WTO, WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, USAID, DFID, CIDA, International Human Rights Organizations, international press, local press, distinguished Nigerian and African socio-political leaders.
[a]
Genesis 5:2 NRSVUE – – Bible Gateway
Human (Igbo language: ahụ mmanụ, meaning ‘the body of a person’).