In this episode we climb the mountain of scientific evidence for gender affirming care, but first we stop at base camp to cover the basics. What is gender affirming care? Who is it for? And then quickly onto the summit: the overwhelming evidence showing the benefit of gender affirming care for the people that need it.

Content Warning: brief mention of statistics related to suicidality.

Sources of content and inspiration

"Frequently Asked Questions About Transgender People" by the National Center for Transgender Equality: linked here

"Transgender and Nonbinary Identities" by Planned Parenthood: linked here

"Mental health and gender dysphoria: A review of the literature" by Cecilia Dhejne and others published in 2016 in the journal International Review of Psychiatry : linked here 

"Suicidality, Self-Harm, and Body Dissatisfaction in Transgender Adolescents and Emerging Adults with Gender Dysphoria" by Claire Peterson and others published in 2016 in the journal Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior: linked here

"Self Harm and Suicidality in Children Referred for Gender Disphoria" by Madison Aitken and others published in 2016 in the journal Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry: linked here

"Association Between Gender-Affirming Surgery and Mental Health Outcomes" by Anthony Almazan and Alex Keuroghlian in 2021 in the journal JAMA Surgery: linked here

American Medical Association reads:  

•  "Why anti-transgender bills are a dangerous intrusion on medicine" by Kevin B. O'Reilly (May 2021): linked here 
• "What to know about gender affirming care for younger patients" by Timothy M. Smith (Dec. 2021): linked here
• "AMA reinforces opposition to restrictions on transgender medical care" June 15, 2021 press release: linked here

Spark Plug
Transgender Law Center https://transgenderlawcenter.org/about#mission-vision
@Them on Instagram

Credits
Cover art and newsletter design by Abby Armato
Intro and outro music "In My Dreams" by Freebeats.io

Contact the pod at brainbreakroompod@gmail.com

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This episode answers the question of how our bodies avoid absolute chaos when we have two X chromosomes. Featuring the story of a brilliant female scientist - Dr. Mary Lyon, the experiments that led to her breakthrough discovery, and how it is helping patients today.  Cat-lovers, never fear, the magic and mystery of calico cats is also covered!

Sources of content and inspiration

"The Gift of Observation: An Interview with Mary Lyon" by Jane Gitschier published in 2010 in the journal PLoS Genetics at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2809768/

"Mary Lyon: The Geneticist Who Discovered That Women Are (Cellular) Mosaics" by Manuel Ruiz Rejon published in 2020 in OpenMind at https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/science/leading-figures/mary-lyon-geneticist-discovered-women-are-cellular-mosaics/

"Sex Chromosomes in Mammals: X Inactivation" by John Wing and Claire O'Connor published in 2008 in the journal Nature Education at https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/sex-chromosomes-in-mammals-x-inactivation-522/

Credits
Cover art and newsletter design by Abby Armato
Intro and outro music "In My Dreams" by Freebeats.io

Contact the pod at brainbreakroompod@gmail.com

Sign up for the newsletter at http://eepurl.com/hS0FbL

Ever wonder how we figured out how the world was getting hotter? Have you too been haunted by pop hits referencing climate change, wondering how long we have known about it? This episode explores work done by scientists in the 1800s that predicted the current climate crisis.

Sources of content and inspiration

Read "How 19th Century Scientists Predicted Global Warming " by Clive Thompson for JSTOR Daily at https://daily.jstor.org/how-19th-century-scientists-predicted-global-warming/

Credits
Cover image by Abby Armato
Intro and outro music "In My Dreams" by Freebeats.io

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Quick update on podcast business: tldl (too long don't listen); more full length episodes to come soon!

Today's episode dives into the biological definition of the sexes. Male / female is just where the story begins. Listen to learn more!

Sources of inspiration and content
"X Chromosome Infographic" published by National Human Genome Research Institute

"Geneticists make new discovery about how a baby's sex is determined" published by ScienceDaily

The impact of sex on gene expression across human tissues by Oliva et al. published in Science in 2020
 
 Sex differences in gene expression and regulatory networks across 29 human tissues by Lopes-Ramos et al. published in Cell Reports in 2020
 
Credits
Cover art by Abby Armato
Intro and Outro music "In My Dreams" by Freebeats.io
 
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The third and final migratory bird mini-series episode is here! Features bird brains, funky physics, and increasingly carnivorous mice.

Sources of Content and Inspiration

A World on the Wing: The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds by Scott Weidensaul


Credits
Cover art by Abby Armato
Intro and Outro music "In My Dreams" by Freebeats.io
 
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The birds are cool mini-series continues with a special guest! We take a brief pause from the wonders of bird migration to dive into the world of amateur birding. In an episode filled with fun bird facts, an avid birder joins me to discuss the joy of walking slowly outside, the birding community, bird tracking controversy, and the next craze - fantasy birding.

Sources of Content and Inspiration

A World on the Wing: The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds by Scott Weidensaul


Credits
Cover art by Abby Armato
Intro and Outro music "In My Dreams" by Freebeats.io
 
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Billions of birds follow their genes for seasonal journeys up to thousands of miles long. That’s right - this episode dives into the fascinating details behind bird migration. Part one of a three-episode mini-series starts with migration basics and goes into the dramatic traits and changes that allow birds to migrate. Organs shrink and expand, insides are liquified, and respiratory systems are pushed just about to the max. Listen to hear all about it!

Sources of Content and Inspiration

A World on the Wing: The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds by Scott Weidensaul


Credits
Cover art by Abby Armato
Intro and Outro music "In My Dreams" by Freebeats.io
 
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