Posts Tagged Science

By Katie Halper • 12 years ago

Infographic: global warming deniers are full of s***

Whenever I’m arguing with global warming skeptics, I disclaim that  I don’t claim to be an expert in any of the sciences that could prove or disprove global warming. I do, however, have enough common sense to realize that, quite frequently,  global warming deniers are or represent people or interests with potential ulterior motives (money), while global warming believers tend not to have ulterior motives (unless you but buy the Al Gore wants to create mass hysteria thesis, which I don’t) but do tend to have the support of most of the scientific community. So which side is more likely to be telling the truth? If you read what I just wrote, how was it for you? Was it as ...

Whenever I’m arguing with global warming skeptics, I disclaim that  I don’t claim to be an expert in any of the sciences that could prove or disprove global warming. I do, however, have enough common sense to ...
By Eesha Pandit • 12 years ago

New study shows women can do math, and well

When I say “affirmative action” what comes to mind? While the readers of this post may think of this answer (because you are largely a self-selecting group), I doubt that many folks think of the definition as successful policy proposals that directly impact marginalized communities.

The notion of affirmative action is so maligned in our society that most folks likely think about heated debates and choosing a person of color/woman over an equally qualified white male. And then said white male sues the school for “reverse racism.”

Well, as it turns out, the effects of affirmative action can be determined using studies that measure methods that actively promote the underrepresented group. Scientific studies, FTW.

A new study, released in Science, indicates that ...

When I say “affirmative action” what comes to mind? While the readers of this post may think of this answer (because you are largely a self-selecting group), I doubt that many folks think of the definition as ...
By Lori Adelman • 12 years ago

Reebok backs that ass [claim] up

Imagine you are a Reebok ad executive facing flat sales and an even flatter image problem. Do you:

a) design an ad campaign based on the product you were given and its proven benefits

b) quit your job because it’s too hard

c) spend the whole day watching episodes of Mad Men on Netflix Instant to channel inspiration

d) based on little to no scientific evidence, claim that EasyTone footwear will measurably strengthen the muscles in the legs, thighs and buttocks, and then design a sexist and objectifying ad campaign based on this faulty claim that promises the shoes will, among other things, “make your boobs jealous of your ass”??

If you chose d), congratulations! You did the same thing as ...

Imagine you are a Reebok ad executive facing flat sales and an even flatter image problem. Do you:

a) design an ad campaign based on the product you were given and its proven benefits

b) quit your ...
By Courtney • 12 years ago

Are we closer to a pill for men?

Word on the street, okay in the New York Times, is that we are getting closer and closer to getting long-awaited male contraception:

Prompted by women’s organizations, global health groups and surveys indicating that men are receptive, federal agencies are financing research. Some methods will be presented at an October conference sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

“Male contraception is a critical area,” said Jenny Sorensen, a foundation spokeswoman. “It doesn’t make sense to not include everyone in the discussion.”

Srsly. What the heck has taken so long, one might reasonably ask? Elaine Tyler May has a great chapter on the history of science on the male pill in her book, America + the Pill. She writes:

The emphasis on ...

Word on the street, okay in the New York Times, is that we are getting closer and closer to getting long-awaited male contraception:

Prompted by women’s organizations, global health groups and surveys indicating that men are receptive, ...
By Courtney • 12 years ago

‘Ambiguous sex or ambivalent society?’

Alice Domurat Dreger is a Professor of Clinical Medical Humanities and Bioethics at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, but more than that, she is an advocate operating at the cutting edge of sex and gender. In fact, she’s sort of the smart person in the position of telling other smart people just how little we actually know about sex, nature, nurture, and the like. Read her latest piece on the biochemical policing in women’s sports and check out her fascinating TED Talk.

Alice Domurat Dreger is a Professor of Clinical Medical Humanities and Bioethics at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, but more than that, she is an advocate operating at the cutting edge of sex and gender. ...
By Chloe Angyal • 12 years ago

Zombie Marie Curie speaks the truth

Last Friday, I dedicated at Friday Feminist Fuck Yeah to women in science, and from the looks of the comments section and my email inbox, we have a fair few scientists in the Feministing community. It was great to see so many of you sharing stories and advice about how to survive and thrive as a woman in a male-dominated field. XKCD has some advice about that, too. Well, XKCD and Zombie Marie Curie:

This cartoon is so spot on, and not just because Radium is in fact deadly. When there are so few women in a field, the pressure to be great is immense, not only because you feel the need to defy stereotypes about your gender’s inferiority, ...

Last Friday, I dedicated at Friday Feminist Fuck Yeah to women in science, and from the looks of the comments section and my email inbox, we have a fair few scientists in the Feministing community. It ...
By Chloe Angyal • 12 years ago

Friday Feminist Fuck Yeah: Women in Science

Courtesy of Sociological Images, here’s a graph showing the gender of people being awarded PhDs, department by department. As you can see, women are wildly underrepresented in physics, computer sciences and engineering. We already knew this, of course – women are underrepresented at all levels of the “hard” sciences – but when you see it represented in graph form, it’s pretty stark.

I mentioned earlier this week that I spent the weekend at Princeton, listening to distinguished alumni talk about a number of issues, mostly about their career paths and their efforts to balance their work lives and their personal lives. In a discussion of work-life balance led by New York Times writer Lisa Belkin, class of 1982, a ...

Courtesy of Sociological Images, here’s a graph showing the gender of people being awarded PhDs, department by department. As you can see, women are wildly underrepresented in physics, computer sciences and engineering. We already knew this, ...
By Courtney • 13 years ago

Feminism, once again, blamed for, well, everything

[Ed note: Lori and Courtney don’t like to take on pop-psychology by themselves. It gives them the heeby jeebies, and runs a high risk of inducing anger and/or exasperation. So they decided to team up to debunk this faulty logic. The result is the below post. Enjoy.]

Courtney: While blatantly hocking his new book, Dr. Ogi Ogas (ah, yes, also famed game show contestant and Homeland Security consultant), offers a highly original and nuanced argument: feminism is ruining our love lives. We’ve never heard that before.

In any case, Ogi (I have to use his first name because it’s just too much fun), is arguing that women and men are both ...

[Ed note: Lori and Courtney don’t like to take on pop-psychology by themselves. It gives them the heeby jeebies, and runs a high risk of inducing anger and/or exasperation. So they decided to team up ...

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