Radio 4 Genetic Gender Gap on now

[HennyPenny4]

Great prog on women's greater immunity and survival due to our XX - Start the week, began at 9

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000h2c0

Very much needed.

They begin talking about transgender issues re medical treatment at around 9.36am.

Gina Rippon is very interesting.

I’m listening right now. Very interesting. Especially about how drugs aren’t tested on women.

The line ‘men are not women biologically’.
That’s going to cause some issues.

Sunlight: shine on.

That was interesting!

Both however, sounded very nervous and unsure when Kirsty Wark brought up the issue of trans identities.......as if they were hyper conscious of not wanting to upset or offend. However, as soon as they were back on topic of their specialism they sounded far more confident and sure footed.

Interesting point for me, was about looking beyond the visible or obvious structures to the micro level of cellular patterning/coding

Also some of what was said about how in recent decades we've been looking more towards sameness or similarity between sexes.....how looking to wards differences if now, potentially, of more interest.......

That's certainly my sense......that EQUALITY arguments and perspectives gets you to equal civil and legal rights - which is great, obviously....but that then tends to lead to a situation where differences are ignored or down-played.

It seems to be the case, certainly in the case of neuroscience, that plasticity, malleability and the potential for structures and pathways to change/alter on account of personal & individual experiences - leaves the door open to a very much more individualistic reading of brain science - than the more micro-level study of cellular biology/genetics.

I was a bit annoyed that Gina Rippon was desperate to make the point towards the end that all brains are different - well, if that is her starting point then there's no point doing much research as results can only apply then to one brain. I do see what she meant but she was negating in a way, all that was said about sex differences.

Just bumping this as it's an interesting scientific listen.