Joseph, regarding besulim, why does having the status of a besulah require a physical miracle? Why can’t it just be that we give her the status of a besulah, irrespective of what the actual physical metzius is. I have heard similar by a leap year. If a girl’s birthday is in adar and that year is a leap year, the physical changes take place a month later. However, there, too, why not just say that halachically we recognize any activity before that age to be insignificant as far as her later status as a besulah? Please explain the need to invoke any physical issues here. Are they measurable or detectable in any way? In any child, would any expert (religious or secular) be able to tell the difference between a 2.99 yr old and a 3.01 yr old?
Second, as far as other cases of where the Torah stated physical facts which you have claimed are always scientifically accurate, doesn’t the Rambam concede that treifos do live past 12 months, but we still must keep them as treifos, since that is the assumption upon which the halacha is based, and once set, the halacha cannot be changed here?
Another example is that I believe that the gemara says that a premature fetus can survive if born during the 7th month, but not during the 8th month. (This is of course quite puzzling, anyway, since simple logic would dictate that the longer the fetus is carried, the better it will develop.) My question is, is it accepted nowadays that 8th month preemies cannot survive? Is this true? (I don’t remember if this principle is used by animals, humans, or both, but am pretty sure it is in the gemara.)