Women in science
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“Probably no man has ever troubled to imagine how strange his life would appear to himself if it were unrelentingly assessed in terms of his maleness … If he gave an interview to a reporter, or performed any unusual exploit, he would find it recorded in such terms as these: “Professor Bract, although a distinguished botanist, is not in any way an unmanly man. He has, in fact, a wife and seven children. Tall and burly, the hands with which he handles his delicate specimens are as gnarled and powerful as those of a Canadian lumberjack, and when I swilled beer with him in his laboratory, he bawled his conclusions at me in a strong, gruff voice that implemented the promise of his swaggering moustache.” […]” —From seanan_mcguire’s posting on Sexism, the current SFWA kerfuffle, and “lady authors:” in the comments, via jenk, a long lovely passage from Dorothy L. Sayers’ 1947 essay, “The Human-Not-Quite-Human”. Read the whole thing. The perception of this problem is nothing new… (via dduane)
I love me some Dorothy L. Sayers.
(via sarahreesbrennan)
(via asymptoticalpaca)
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Corporate support a helping hand in the big world of science - The National The Life: Rania Zaarour, an assistant professor and a cell biologist at University of Sharjah, talks about corporate sponsorship of scientific research in the UAE and ways to boost the research landscape here.
While I think it is great that young scientists are getting well-deserved funding, things can get sticky when big corps are providing that money.
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Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) in pre-Columbian North America: Evidence from the eastern Tennessee River Valley
“Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH or Forestier’s disease) is a pathological condition of unknown etiology characterized by the exuberant antero-lateral flowing (‘dripping candle wax’) ossification of the anterior spinal ligaments. Clinical data indicate it is a progressive male-predilected pathology manifested in middle age, which steeply rises in prevalence after aged 60. It has become paleopathologically relevant because it has been clinically associated with an affluent lifestyle. Archeological examination of the prevalence of DISH is often undertaken on European samples and frequently in monastic contexts. There are no prevalence data for pre-Columbian samples from North America. The present study establishes baseline information from four prehistoric Late Mississippian period (AD 1300–1600) samples (N = 389) from the upper Tennessee River Valley. Two probable cases and one possible case of DISH (all male) are identified, reflecting less than one percent of the adult sample, and 1.2 percent (2/172) of males. The low prevalence compared to European monastic samples and non-New World cemetery contexts suggests socioeconomic or interpopulational genetic differences that may be tested with subsistence and community health-status controlled osteoarchaeological comparisons within and outside of North America” (read more/open access).
***For the palaeopath people.
(Open access source: International Journal of Paleopathology 3(1):11-18, 2013)
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Goodall, Fossey & Galdikas: Great Minds
Today we know that humans and chimpanzees share 99% of their DNA and that we have a lot in common. Not just how we look, but how we behave, form groups, defend our turf, and love each other. People didn’t always see other primates this way, but in the 1960s and ’70s, some amazing intrepid women came along to turn primatology on its hairy head. Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey and Birute Galdikas studied chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans, respectively, and are the very definition of great minds of science. Their contributions to humanity’s knowledge about its closest living relatives is the subject of today’s SciShow: Great Minds.
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References for this episode can be found in the Google document here: http://dft.ba/-5RFg -
Women's College Hospital | Women's College Hospital unveils hospital of the future “Our new facility represents one of the biggest Canadian advancements in ambulatory care,” WCH president and CEO Marilyn Emery says. “We are developing innovative models of care that are helping to keep people out of hospital.This is the future of healthcare. We combine treatments, surgery, research and education all in one place to deliver superior - and more efficient - care and to improve our health system as a whole.”
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Nell Benjamin and Jennifer Westfeldt on The Explorers Club Nell Benjamin, the author ofThe Explorers Club, and Jennifer Westfeldt, who plays the lead role, say their own experiences with male condescension helped them shape the play’s heroine.
This play is set in a Royal Society-like enclave in 1879, a time well before women were admitted to the royal societies in the UK and Canada.
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Summer camp focuses on science, math for young women A Troy University summer camp program is helping inspire young women to fill the gender gap in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) careers by giving them hands-on training in these fields.
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What Happens To Women When They're Denied Abortions? Plenty of research has examined how getting an abortion affects women’s mental health. (In short, it doesn’t, though individual circumstances vary enough that universal statements about women’s reactions can be misleading.)
But what about those who want an abortion, but can’t get one?
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Science fiction authors attack sexism amid row over SFWA magazine SF writers’ association draws stinging criticism with chainmail bikini cover and articles praising Barbie and beauty of ‘lady editors’
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Professor discusses research on challenges facing women entrepreneurs, as well as possible solutions Last week, the United States topped Dell’s first-ever Global Entrepreneurship and Development Index, a study of the best countries for female entrepreneurship. While this is a feather in America’s cap, women entrepreneurs across the nation still face many challenges.
