Archive for the ‘Male Genetics’ Category

For genes on autosomes, we all have two copiesone from each parent. The two copies may be the same, or they may be different. Different versions of the same gene are called alleles (uh-LEELZ). Genes code for proteins, and proteins make traits.* Importantly, its the two alleles working together that affect what we seealso called a phenotype.

Female pigeons (ZW) have just one Z chromosome, and therefore just one allele for each of the genes located there. One gene on the Z chromosome affects feather color; three different alleles make feathers blue, ash-red, or brown. In a female bird (ZW), her single color allele determines her feather color. But in males (ZZ), two alleles work together to determine feather color according to their dominance. That is, 'ash-red' is dominant to 'blue', which is dominant to 'brown'.

Having two copies of a gene can be important when one copy is broken or defective. A functional second copy can often work well enough on its own, acting as a sort of back-up to prevent problems. With sex-linked genes, male mammals (and female birds) have no back-up copy. In people, a number of genetic disorders are sex-linked, including Duchenne muscular dystrophy and hemophilia. These and other sex-inked disorders are much more common in boys than in girls.

Red/green colorblindness is also caused by a defective gene on the X-chromosome. You need at least one working copy of the gene to be able to see red and green. Since boys have just one X-chromosome, which they receive from their mother, inheriting one defective copy of the gene will render them colorblind. Girls have two X-chromosomes; to be colorblind they must inherit two defective copies, one from each parent. Consequently, red-green colorblindness is much more frequent in boys (1 in 12) than in girls (1 in 250).

*Some genes code for functional RNAs, which also influence our traits.

The differences in sex chromosomes between males and females leads to specific inheritance patterns for sex-linked genes. (Above) Female pigeons inherit their color allele from their father. Males inherit one allele from each parent. In humans (below), the pattern is reversed.

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Sex Linkage - University of Utah

What Is It?

Hair loss can range from mild hair thinning to total baldness. Hair can fall out for many different reasons. Medically, hair loss falls into several categories, including:

We normally lose approximately 50 to 100 scalp hairs each day. If more than this is falling out, you may find unusually large amounts of hair in brushes, on clothing, and in the drains of sinks and tubs. You may also notice that your hair is generally thinner, that your part is wider, that your hairline has changed or that one or more bald patches have appeared.

As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.

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Hair Loss - Harvard Health

As males are unable to produce milk or lay eggs, the ability to breed cows and hens that produce all-female litters is likely to be high on most poultry and dairy farmers wish lists.

Now, scientists at the Francis Crick Institute and the University of Kent have come a step closer to realising this goal after successfully using CRISPR gene editing techniques to produce all-female or all-male litters of mice.

The technique could also be used to improve animal welfare in areas of scientific research in which only male or only female animals are required for studies, the researchers say.

To make the breakthrough the researchers took advantage of the fact that CRISPR consists of two parts the Cas9 enzyme, which cuts the DNA and enables scientists to alter specific regions of genes, and the guide RNA, which carries the Cas9 enzyme to the desired region on the genome.

They targeted the TOP1 gene, which is essential to DNA replication, and placed one part of CRISPR on the fathers X or Y chromosome, meaning that it will only be inherited by female or male embryos, and the other part on the mothers chromosomes, which will be inherited by all embryos.

This meant that when a sperm carrying the Cas9 enzyme on the fathers X or Y chromosome fertilised an egg carrying the guide RNA, the gene editing process was triggered in the resulting embryo and it was not able to develop beyond a very early stage.

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This method works as we split the genome editing process in half, between a male and female, and it is only when the two halves meet in an embryo through breeding, that it is activated. Embryos with both halves cannot develop beyond very early cell stages, said Charlotte Douglas, first author and former PhD student and postdoctoral scientist at the Crick.

Weve also shown this process works successfully in different combinations introducing either the Cas9 or the guide RNA elements on to the mothers or fathers chromosomes.

Using this method, the researchers were able to control the sex of a litter with 100 per cent accuracy and found no harmful effects in the surviving animals.

Moreover, as the TOP1 gene is well conserved across mammals, these results may also be applicable to other animals such as livestock.

The implications of this work are potentially far-reaching when it comes to improving animal welfare, but should be considered at ethical and regulatory levels, said Dr Peter Ellis, author and senior lecturer in molecular genetics and reproduction at the University of Kent.

In particular, before any potential use in agriculture, there would need to be extensive public conversation and debate, as well as changes to legislation. On the scientific side, there is also much work to be done over a number of years. Further research is needed, first to develop the particular gene editing toolkits for different species, and then to check they are safe and effective.

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Gene editing used to create all-male or all-female litters of mice - BBC Science Focus Magazine

A new systematic review of the validated monogenic causes of male infertility strengthens the evidence base for emerging gene-disease relationships; the review hopes to encourage more routine genetic testing in clinics and identify gaps in our knowledge of male infertility genetics.

In less than two years, the number of genes revealed in the literature as causative of male infertility phenotypes has increased from 78 (in 2019) to 104, an increase of 33%. All are supported by evidence of a direct gene-disease relationship and, say the authors of a new report, will provide the impetus for an update of existing guidelines, will inform novel evidence-based genetic testing strategies used in clinics, and will identify gaps in our knowledge of male infertility genetics.(1)

This latest report is an update on the first standardised clinical validity assessment of monogenic causes of male infertility published in 2019, and like that one this latest literature evaluation has been conducted with the International Male Infertility Genomics Consortium (IMIGC). The increase in the number of high-probability male infertility genes is not just a reflection of extended gene discovery but a function too of the recent rapid uptake of next generation sequencing in male infertility (with whole-exome sequencing described as the default sequencing approach) and research on clinical cohorts. The validation of these emerging genes will, say the authors, help give direction to which individual genes may be screened for and how they are relevant to certain types of infertility.

All 104 genes and their links to male infertility phenotypes are listed in a table, with organ effects noted in hypothalamic function, pituitary and adrenal gland dysfunction, vas deferens, reproductive organ development, Leydig cell, Sertoli-cell only syndrome, meiotic arrest, spermatogenesis and fertilisation.

As illustrated in a Campus meeting on the genetics of male infertility held online a few weeks ago, a wide range of phenotypes now appears to be largely genetic in origin.(2) Already, the genetic components of Klinefelter syndrome, Y-chromosome microdeletions and some monogenic causes of azoospermia are well recognised, but there remains a majority of male infertility cases (60-70%) without any clear diagnosis. Only 4% are actually diagnosed with a defined genetic cause. This updated systematic evaluation of all available evidence for published monogenic causes of isolated or syndrome male infertility will hopefully extend the limits for genetic testing and the diagnostic power for identifying the causes of male infertility; however, while NGS is now a cornerstone test in male infertility research, it is not, say the authors, extensively employed in clinical diagnosis.

The report notes that the diagnostic rate of genetic tests for all types of isolated male infertility currently lies between 4 and 9%. These are rates considerably behind those seen in other heterogeneous disorders with a large genetic contribution such as cardiomyopathies or developmental delay, where whole-exome and whole-genome sequencing are routinely applied. However, with reduced costs of NGS and better accessibility, the authors hope that the increased number of validated genes implicated in male infertility will lead to greater diagnostic implementation.

And this in turn will help in evaluating future health risks in which male infertility may be linked to other comorbidities in later life; for example, a number of multiple DNA repair genes linked to infertility are known to be involved in some cancers. There are also implications from genetic testing in male infertility for sons of men with Y-chromosome variants conceived by ART, who presumably will inherit the same infertility phenotype as their affected fathers - and thus may in turn require ART if wanting their own biological child.

1. Houston BJ, Riera-Escamilla A, Wyrwoll MJ, et al. A systematic review of the validated monogenic causes of human male infertility: 2020 update and a discussion of emerging genedisease relationships, Hum Reprod Update 2021; doi:10.1093/humupd/dmab0302. See https://www.focusonreproduction.eu/article/ESHRE-News-male

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The number of genotype-phenotype associations validated in male infertility continues to grow - ESHRE

Fiona is turning 5. It's almost time to think about boys

Updated: 3:55 PM EST Dec 2, 2021

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>> THE CINCINNATYI ZOO HAS BEEN HERE A LONG TIME. AND WE'RE NOW FAMOUS, AS THE CINCINNATI ZOO AND BOTANICAL GARDENS. THAT LONG TRADITION, PARTICULARLY IN CINCINNATI WHERE EVERYBODY VALUES THE HISTORY IS VERY IMPORTANT. AS I SAY, CINCINNATI IS A ZOO TOWN. THIS TOWN STUCK WITH US. PEOPLE ARE STILL JOINING THE ZOO WITH, WE KNOW THAT YOU'RE NOT OPEN YET BUT WE KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO BE OPEN. WE WANT YOU TO MAKE IT. WE ARE A VERY SUPPORTIVE TOWN. >> FROM WLWT, THIS IS LET'S TALK CINCY IS PRESENTED BY WESTERN AND SOUTHERN FINANCIAL GROUP. PUT OUR FINANCIAL STRENGTH BEHIND YOU. COURTIS: ANYTIME SOMETHING IS CONSIDERED THE BEST, IT'S WORTH TALKING ABOUT. HELLO, EVERYONE. I'M COURTIS FULLER AND WELCOME TO LET'S TALK CINCY. THE CINCINNATI ZOO IS KNOWN AROUND THE WORLD AND IT IS NOW RANKED THE BEST ZOO IN AMERICA IN 2021, ACCORDING TO A POLL CONDUCTED BY USA TODAY'S 10 BEST. A PANEL OF TRAVEL EXPERTS PICKED THE INITIAL NOMINEES. THEN READERS SELECTED THE TOP 10 WINNERS BY POPULAR VOTE. THE ZOO'S RICH HISTORY BEGAN NEARLY 150 YEARS AGO IN 1873. ONE PERSON WHO KNOWS THE HISTORY AS WELL AS ANYONE, IS ZOO DIRECTOR THANE MAYNARD. THE ZOO HAS BEEN A BIG PART OF HIS LIFE FOR NEARLY A HALF CENTURY. >> THIS IS AN AMAZING PLACE, SECOND OLDEST ZOO IN THE COUNTRY. TALK ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE ZOO. >> WELL, YOU KNOW, SINCE HE'S BEEN HERE A LONG TIME AND WE'RE NOW FAMOUS AS THE CINCINNATI ZOO AND BOTANICAL GARDEN. BUT THAT'S BEEN THE CASE ALL ALONG WITH ANDREW ERIC AND BRECKER AND THOSE GERMAN IMMIGRANTS STARTED THIS. THEY WANTED TO BRING WHAT THEY HAD HAD IN FRANKFURT AND STOOD GUARD TO CINCINNATI, WHICH WAS AN URBAN PARK, BEAUTIFUL PLANTINGS, EXOTIC ANIMALS AND CULTURAL EVENTS, AND OUR ORIGINAL TITLE WAS THE CINCINNATI ZOOLOGICAL' GARDEN. BUT IT'S A GARDEN ON STEROIDS NOW BECAUSE WE REALLY GET AFTER IT, THAT'S FOR SURE. BUT YOU KNOW THAT TRADITION. BACK THEN, YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW IMPORTANT THAT WAS. I MEAN, THERE WASN'T A LOT SHAKING IN THE 1870'S, AND SO HAVING A PLACE LIKE THAT WHERE YOU CAN GET OUT OF OVER THE RHINE OR DOWNTOWN, WHERE THERE REALLY NO PLANS AND COME UP TO A BEAUTIFUL GARDEN IS REALLY SIGNIFICANT. AND WE STILL PLAY THAT ROLE DAY RESPITE FROM THE CITY, A PLACE THAT'S SHADY AND SOFT AND LOTS AND LOTS OF CULTURAL EVENTS. YOU KNOW, WE'RE LIVING THAT SAME MISSION, BUT THAT LONG TRADITION, PARTICULARLY IN CINCINNATI WHERE EVERYBODY VALUES, THEIR, THE HISTORY IS VERY IMPORTANT. AS I SAY, CINCINNATI IS A ZOO TOWN. PEOPLE LOVE THIS. AND I GO, WHETHER I'M IN CLEAVES OR I'M ALL THE WAY UP TERRORIST PARK, OR I'M IN NORTHERN KENTUCKY, EVERYBODY MEET HAS A STORY ABOUT THEIR KIDS WENT ZOO CAMP, BECAME VETERINARIANS, WENT TO THE ZOO FOR 15 YEARS. IT'S FUN, THE ROLE THAT ZOO PLAYS IN FAMILIES LIVES HERE. THAT IS WHY WE ARE HERE. COURTIS: AND IT'S GOOD TO SEE SO MANY FAMILIES BACK OUT, ESPECIALLY AFTER THE YEAR WE'VE HAD. IT'S A REMINDER OF HOW IMPORTANT THIS ZOO IS TO GREATER CINCINNATI. >> IT IS TRUE, YOU KNOW, LAST YEAR WHEN THE PANDEMIC FIRST HIT AND THE GOVERNOR CLOSED THE ZOO. IT ENDED UP BEING THREE MONTHS BUT WE HAD NO IDEA, YOU KNOW. SOME OF THE ZOOS IN CALIFORNIA WERE CLOSED FOR OVER A YEAR, THE NATIONAL ZOO IN D.C. WAS CLOSED FOR OVER A YEAR. AND MAN, WE'D BE COMPLETELY BROKE IF THAT HAD BEEN THE CASE BECAUSE IT WAS EXPENSIVE, EVEN WHEN YOU'RE NOT OPENING. THE VETERINARIANS AND KEEPERS WE HAVE TO FEED ALL THE ANIMALS, BUT WE MADE IT THROUGH BETTER THAN ANYBODY WOULD HAVE THOUGHT. THIS TOWN STUCK WITH US. PEOPLE ARE STILL JOINING THE ZOO WITH, WE KNOW YOU ARE NOT OPEN YET BUT WE KNOW YOU'RE GONNA BE OPEN. WE WANT YOU TO MAKE IT. WE ARE IN A VERY SUPPORTIVE TOWN. COURTIS: 44 YEARS FOR YOU. >> I GOT OLD QUICK, COURTIS. I'M TELLING YOU. COURTIS: DON'T WE ALL. BUT TELL ME YOUR JOURNEY. HOW DID YOU START HERE AT THE ZOO AND, AND OBVIOUSLY 44 YEARS LATER. >> WELL 44 YEARS AGO, THERE , WASN'T AS GREAT AN INTEREST IN WORKING IN THE ZOO FIELD AS THERE IS TODAY. I MEAN, TODAY, IF A JOB CAME OPEN, WHETHER IT'S ZOOKEEPER OR ZOO EDUCATOR, WHICH IS HOW I STARTED THERE'D BE 100 QUALIFIED , KIDS APPLYING FOR THAT JOB. BUT THAT'S AFTER A COUPLE GENERATIONS, ZOO CAMPS AND THINGS WHERE PEOPLE REALLY, REALLY GOT INTO THIS FIELD. BACK THEN, FOR ME IT WAS JUST RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME. PROCTOR HAD FUNDED THE WORLD'S FIRST ZOO EDUCATION CENTER, WHICH IS THE WOODEN BUILDING WE NOW CALL TREE TOPS, AND WE USE IT FOR A WIDE VARIETY OF PURPOSES, BUT IT HAD FIVE CLASSROOMS. THERE'S NEVER BEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT. AND THEY NEEDED SOME PEOPLE TO HELP LEAD PROGRAMS, SO I WAS FORTUNATE. I'D GOTTEN OUT OF GRAD SCHOOL, AND MY WIFE'S FROM CINCINNATI, AND SHE HAD A JOB WRITING ANY CINCINNATI MAGAZINE. AND LIKE A LOT OF YOUNG GUYS COMING UP, I'D NEVER REALLY BEEN VERY THOUGHTFUL ABOUT MY CAREER. I THOUGHT I'D GO TO AFRICA OR SOMETHING, BANG AROUND FOR A FEW YEARS, BUT SUDDENLY I FOUND MYSELF MARRIED AND I'M LIKE, I SHOULD PROBABLY GET A JOB. AND SO, IT WAS FORTUNATE. JUST RIGHT PLACE, THE RIGHT TIME, SO I SPENT 25 YEARS, YEAH, WORKING IN THE ZOO EDUCATION DEPARTMENT. AND, YOU KNOW, HELPING THAT PHENOMENON GROW NOT JUST HERE , BUT AT OTHER INSTITUTIONS WHERE SO MANY FAMILIES TODAY. I MEAN, OUR ZOO CAMPS AND ZOO TROOP AND ALL THOSE , PARTICIPATORY PROGRAMS, VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS LIKE ZOO TEEN , THEY FILL UP INSTANTLY. FAMILIES REALLY WANT THEIR KIDS INVOLVED. COURTIS: YOU ARE A CINCINNATI CELEBRITY, A CINCINNATI LEGEND AND I SAY THAT WITH ALL SINCERITY. >> WELL, SOME OF THAT'S ATTRIBUTED TO WE ARE A NON-TOURIST TOWN, BUT DOESN'T TAKE MUCH TO BE A CELEBRITY HERE. IF THE ZOOKEEPER CAN BE, BUT DON'T FORGET MY FRIEND JACK HANNA, BECAUSE HE PUT HIS HOUSEHOLD NAME AND A DARN GOOD GUY. BUT THAT IS A REFLECTION OF A ZOO LIKE OURS, THAT HAS TREMENDOUS SUPPORT IN THE COMMUNITY INCLUDING ANNUAL PHILANTHROPY AND SPONSORSHIPS FOR OPERATIONS, AND ALL OF OUR CAPITAL IS PRIVATELY RAISED. THIS ZOO IS PLUGGED INTO THE COMMUNITY, SO WE'RE OUT THERE WE'RE PITCHING THE ZOO EVERY DAY YOU KNOW WHETHER IT'S ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO GET OUT HERE FOR EVENTS LIKE YOU KNOW THE PNC FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS, ZOO BABIES OR IS TO GET SPONSORS TO WANT TO BE DIRECTLY INVOLVED WITH THE ZOO. AND AS A RESULT, I AND OTHERS WHO REPRESENT THE ZOO ARE OUT THERE WORKING AT PRETTY GOOD. YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOME TOWNS WHERE THE FUNDING IS DIFFERENT, AND THE ZOO IS NOT AS ENGAGED IN THE COMMUNITY. NATIONAL ZOO IN WASHINGTON IS PART OF THE SMITHSONIAN, THEY DON'T NEED TO HUSTLE AND OF COURSE THE SAN DIEGO ZOO IF YOU HAVE A ZOO IN SAN DIEGO WHERE THE WEATHER'S PERFECT AND THERE IS NOTHING BUT TOURISTS YOU OUGHT TO BE ABLE TO GET A , CROWD. WE'RE FORTUNATE WE'RE IN CINCINNATI STYLE ZOO, WE SORT OF DO IT PETE ROSE HEADFIRST SLIDE STYLE, LIKE COME ON. IF IT'S WORTH DOING WE OVERDO IT HERE. YEAH. COURTIS: UP NEXT, A BIG VISION. THE $150 MILLION FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN LEADING TO THE LARGEST CONSTRUCTION PROJECT IN THE ZOO'S HISTORY. AN INSIDE LOOK, WHEN LET'S TALK CINCY CONTINUES. COURTIS: THE CINCINNATI ZOO HAS EMBARKED ON A JOURNEY LIKE NONE OTHER IN ITS HISTORY. THE PROJECT IS CALLED MORE HOME TO ROAM. IT IS A $150 MILLION CAPITAL CAMPAIGN THAT WAS LAUNCHED IN 2018 TO CREATE WHAT THE ZOO CALLS A PACHYDERM PARADISE. THE BIGGEST CONSTRUCTION PROJECT IN THE ZOO'S HISTORY. THANE MAYNARD SAID BIG DONATIONS HAVE MADE THE CROWN JEWEL OF THE PROJECT, ELEPHANT TREK, ALL POSSIBLE. WITH THE GROUNDBREAKING THIS YEAR, BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS, HARRY AND LINDA FATH KICKED OFF THE CAMPAIGN IN 2018 WITH A MAJOR DONATION IN THE AMOUNT OF $50 MILLION. COURTIS: YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT HOW PEOPLE SUPPORT THE ZOO, THE PHILANTHROPY HERE. AND LET'S TALK ABOUT THE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN. THIS WAS $150 MILLION, A DREAM. THREE YEARS AGO, TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT AND THE AMAZING SUPPORT THAT YOU RECEIVED ALREADY. >> WELL, CINCINNATI IS A GENEROUS TOWN. THAT IS THE TRUTH, NOT JUST OTHER CULTURAL GROUPS. I MEAN JUST REMARKABLE REALLY. I THINK WE HIT WAY ABOVE OUR WEIGHT. WHEN YOU HAVE GUESTS FROM OUT OF TOWN, YOU SHOW THEM THE ART MUSEUM MUSIC HALL AND ALL THE , DIFFERENT THINGS GOING ON IN THE CITY. I THINK THEY'RE REALLY IMPRESSED THAT OUR TOWN HAS ALL THAT, AND IT IS THANKS TO PRIVATE SUPPORT. A LOT OF TOWNS, SITES LIKE ST. LOUIS FUNDED THROUGH TAXES, BUT HERE, ALL THOSE THINGS I MENTIONED ARE FUNDED THROUGH PRIVATE SUPPORT. THAT'S PRETTY NEAT. OUR CAMPAIGN HAS GONE WELL. WE LAUNCHED IT IN THE SUMMER OF 2018 WITH THE INCREDIBLE LEADERSHIP GIFT FROM HARRY AND LINDA FATH, AND THAT GOT US A THIRD OF THE WAY THERE. THAT WAS UNPRECEDENTED, FRANKLY, IN OUR REGION, AND CERTAINLY UNPRECEDENTED IN THE HISTORY OF THE ZOO. WE HAVE A LONG HISTORY OF SUPPORT. THIS SINCE THAT TIME WE'VE BEEN GOING GANGBUSTERS AND WE'RE 80% OF THE WAY THERE, SO WE HAVE 30 MILLION MORE TO RAISE, AND THAT'S A LOT, BUT WE'RE GOING TO GET THERE. I COMPARE IT TO RUNNING THE FLYING PIG MARATHON WHICH I'VE DONE MANY YEARS, AND WE'RE AT ABOUT MILE 20. IT'S NO TIME TO STOP. IT'S GOT TO KEEP GOING. SO, IT'S BEEN GREAT, IT REALLY HAS. WE'VE HAD CERTAINLY MORE SUPPORT THAN EVER, AND A LOT OF ENTHUSIASM FOR WHERE WE'RE HEADED, BECAUSE, YES, THAT MONEYS FOR CAPITAL. BUT THAT CAPITAL IS REALLY THE FUTURE OF THE ZOO AND WHAT WE DO, SO IT IS CALLED MORE ROOM -- MORE HOME TO ROAM. BUT ARE OTHER ANIMALS, AS WELL WE'RE GONNA DOUBLE THE AMOUNT OF SPACE FOR BLACK RHINOS. WE'VE ALREADY MADE A TERRIFIC EXHIBIT FOR KANGAROOS, A LITTLE PENGUINS FROM AUSTRALIA, AND THAT AFFORDS US AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO A GREAT JOB WITH OUR GENERAL VISITORS AND MEMBERS BUT ALSO TO BE PARTICIPATING IN GLOBAL CONSERVATION PROGRAMS WITH EVERYTHING FROM ALL THOSE PIECES I MENTIONED FROM PENGUINS , IN THE WILD TO ASIAN ELEPHANTS IN INDIA. COURTIS: IT'S GOOD TO HEAR THAT IT IS GOING SO WELL. I CAN ONLY IMAGINE, IF WE REWIND A YEAR AGO, YOU WERE PROBABLY WONDERING HOW ARE WE GOING TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN IN THE MIDST OF THIS PANDEMIC? BUT AGAIN, SUPPORT KEPT COMING. DESPITE THE PANDEMIC. >> YEAH, I'M SURE ANYBODY THAT RUNS ANY BUSINESS ANYWHERE, TOOK A GREAT PAUSE IN MARCH OF 2020 BECAUSE BUSINESSES, WHETHER IT WAS, YOU KNOW, RESTAURANT, CLOSING DOWN. IN THE CASE OF THE ZOO, REALLY ANYWHERE THAT'S AN ATTRACTION, YOU WONDER WHAT THE FUTURE IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE. I THINK IT'S BEEN 100 YEARS SINCE OUR ZOO HAD EVER BEEN CLOSED AND THAT WAS FROM THE 1918 FLU, SO WE KNEW IT WAS SERIOUS, BUT IT TURNED AROUND FASTER THAN WE THOUGHT. AND PEOPLE DIDN'T STICK WITH US. THE FUNNY THING IS JUST AS WE CAME INTO THIS SUMMER, WE HAD MEETINGS AND SAID, GOSH, I DON'T KNOW IF PEOPLE ARE GONNA WANT TO GET IN BIG CROWDS AGAIN. AS SOON AS THE MASK MANDATE WENT DOWN, WE WERE SLAMMED. SO, WE'RE AN OUTDOOR PARK AND PEOPLE WANT TO BE HERE AND THEY WANT TO GET OUT. AND SO THAT'S BEEN VERY HEARTENING. WE'RE VERY FORTUNATE, YOU KNOW, ZOOS, BY THEIR NATURE AND POPULAR FAMILIES LOVE ANIMALS, BY OUR VERY HUMAN NATURE, WE'RE SORT OF INTERESTED IN ANIMALS AND INTERESTED IN NATURE. AND THAT CERTAINLY REFLECTS THE SUPPORT WE HAVE FOR OUR ZOO, AND IN THE CROWD, WE HAD LIKE, TODAY, IT'S A NICE DAY IN THE SUMMER, AND WE'RE PROBABLY ABOUT 10,000 PEOPLE HERE TODAY. COURTIS: UP NEXT, HOW TWO ANIMALS PUT THE ZOO IN THE INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT IN A WAY NO ONE COULD EVER IMAGINE. A HIPPO NAMED FIONA. A GORRILLA NAMED HARAMBE. TWO DEFINING MOMENTS IN THE ZOO'S HISTORY, WHEN LET'S TALK CINCY CONTINUES. LACEY: WELCOME BACK, EVERYONE. I'M LACEY ROBERTS. JUST SAY THE NAME FIONA, AND YOU IMMEDIATELY THINK OF THE POPULAR AND LOVABLE HIPPO AT THE CINCINNATI ZOO. IN JANUARY 2017, THE FIRST NILE HIPPO WAS BORN AT THE ZOO IN 75 YEARS. FIONA WAS PREMATURE, WEIGHED LESS THAN 30 POUNDS. HER SURVIVAL DEPENDED ON SPECIAL CARE 24 HOURS, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. HER STORY WENT VIRAL, AND AS THEY SAY, THE REST IS HISTORY. BUT AS YOU WILL SEE, THE ZOO MAY HAVE NEEDED FIONA AS MUCH AS SHE NEEDED THE ZOO, BECAUSE OF THE DEATH OF A SILVERBACK GORILLA NAMED HARAMBE. COURTIS CONTINUES HIS CONVERSATION WITH CINCINNATI ZOO DIRECTOR THANE MAYNARD. COURTIS: THE HIGH POINT, PROBABLY IN YOUR CAREER, YOU WOULD NEVER IMAGINE. FIONA. THIS THIS GIFT THAT BASICALLY WAS GIVEN TO YOU. JUST TALK ABOUT FIONA, HOW THIS ANIMAL HAS BECOME REALLY KNOWN AROUND THE WORLD. >> YOU KNOW, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO EXAGGERATE THE IMPACT SHE'S HAD AND THE POPULARITY SHE'S HAD. AND THINK OF THAT BECAUSE, OF COURSE, SHE IS A NILE HIPPOPOTAMUS, AND THAT'S NOT PRIOR ON ANYONE'S TOP 10 LISTS. YOU'VE COME TO ZOO AND THEY WANT TO SEE GIRAFFES AND TIGERS, ELEPHANTS, AND GORILLAS, AND EVEN WHEN YOU GO TO AFRICA AND YOU SEE HIPPOS, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE BIG AND THEY'RE LAYING IN THE WATER, BUT BOY, YOU SAY ONE, MAYBE PREMATURE HIPPO. SHE CHANGED THE WORLD. WHEN SHE WAS BORN, I'D NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT, BECAUSE TYPICALLY, HIPPOS, AS HOOFED ANIMALS ARE VERY PRECOCIOUS, THEY'RE LARGE WHEN THEY'RE BORN. THEY WEIGH ABOUT 100 POUNDS, ABOUT THIS BIG. BORN UNDERWATER, CLIMB IN THEIR MOM'S BACK THE DAY THEY'RE BORN, NURSE UNDERWATER. WELL, SHE WAS ONLY 29 POUNDS. SHE LOOKED LIKE A LITTLE DEFLATED RUGBY BALL, AND WAS BORN JUST ON THAT STRAW. SHE WAS A NEW MOM AND CONFUSED BY IT. AND SHE WASN'T CAPABLE AND TAKE CARE OF HER. AND IT WORKED OUT, AND I MEAN IT TOOK HANDS ON DECK. WE HAD A GROUP BECAME TO BE KNOWN AS TEAM FIONA, WHICH WERE THE ANIMAL KEEPERS AND CAREGIVERS, BUT ALSO THE VET TEAM, THE NUTRITION TEAM AND , PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE CITY WHO WEIGHED IN AND WOULD SPEND THE NIGHT WITH HER AND TAKE CARE OF HER. TWO SPECIALIZED NURSES FROM CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL CAME WHEN SHE GOT DEHYDRATED, AS PREEMIES CAN, DIARRHEA AND THEN THEY NEED FLUIDS. WE COULDN'T HIT A VEIN AND THEY CAME OVER THERE. YEAH, THERE'S NEVER BEEN A THING WE HAVEN'T HAD, SO THEY PUT AN IV ENTER AND STEP BY STEP, THE NEXT THING YOU KNOW, WHEN SHE WAS A COUPLE MONTHS OLD. WE STARTED TO REALIZE, HEY, SHE'S GROWING, SHE'S GONNA MAKE IT. BUT THERE WERE A LOT OF NERVOUS TIMES THERE IN THE MIDDLE, BUT YEAH, IT'S FUNNY. WHEN SHE WAS A FEW MONTHS OLD, ONE OF OUR FORMER BOARD CHAIRS CALLED ME AND SAID THEY KNEW HOW TO GREET BB AGAIN, SO YOU CAN HAVE ANOTHER FIONA. SAID THERE'S NEVER GOING TO BE ANOTHER FIONA. THE WAY IT HIT REALLY WAS LIKE LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE. THE SAVED FROM THE BRINK PREMATURE STORY WAS PART OF IT. THE PHENOMENON OF FACEBOOK AND OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA SITES, PEOPLE FOLLOWED HER ON, ON THE WEB. I MEAN THAT YEAR OF 2017, I TRAVELED A LOT. I WENT TO A COUNTRY IN THE OFFICIAL MIDDLE OF NOWHERE IN AFRICA. NEXT TO TOGO, AND I'M SITTING IN A TABLE, THERE'S PEOPLE EATING, AND SOMEONE SEES MY HATS AND CINCINNATI ZOO AND SAYS TO ME, ISN'T THAT WHERE FIONA'S FROM. AND I COULDN'T GET FARTHER AWAY FROM HERE. EARLIER THAT YEAR, I WAS DOWN IN BELIZE IN CENTRAL AMERICA BIRDWATCHING. I GET TO THIS VERY REMOTE SITE WHERE ONLY BIRDWATCHERS GO TO THIS ONE PLACE TO BE ABLE TO WATCH THESE VERY RARE BIRDS. SO, ALL THESE PEOPLE ARE THERE, THEY ARE ONLY INTERESTED IN ANYTHING BIRDS. AND I HEAR THESE TWO LADIES ON THIS BIRD BLIND, AND ONE LADY SAYS TO THE OTHER I'M GLAD THAT , GOT WI FI CUZ I GOTTA FOLLOW BABY FIONA. AND I WENT OVER AND INTRODUCED MYSELF AND SHE'S LIKE, I CAN'T EVEN BELIEVE IT, YOU KNOW, CUZ, YEAH, SHE TOOK OVER THE WORLD, NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. THE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE REACHED THROUGH ALL OF THAT ARE SO VAST THAT IT ALMOST SOUNDS LIKE MAKING IT UP. I MEAN, IN THE BILLIONS OF PEOPLE SAW THAT, YOU KNOW, ON HER PHONE, ON THEIR COMPUTER, SO YEAH, IT'S SOMETHING. COURTIS: IT'S ALMOST HARD TO SAY THAT THIS HIPPO HAS PERSONALITY. YOU KNOW, AND I SAY THAT AS THIS LAYMAN, BUT SHE HAS A LOT OF PERSONALITY. >> WELL, SHE WAS WHICH NEVER HAPPENED WITH AN ANIMAL LIKE A HIPPO, HAND RAISED. SO, SHE WAS SO SMALL, FOR MANY WEEKS, KEEPERS STAYED WITH HER, TO OBSERVE IT THEY LAID THERE HELD HER AND KEPT HER WARM, AND AS SHE GOT OLDER AND STARTED TO SWIM, SHE WOULD SWIM WITH PEOPLE, AND SHE WOULD REST ON THEIR SHOULDER. AND SO YEAH, SHE VERY MUCH IS HUMAN FOCUSED. NORMALLY, HOOFED ANIMALS LIKE A HIPPO OR A ZEBRA WOULDN'T CARE ABOUT PEOPLE. BUT SHE IS INTERESTED AND WILL GO UP TO YOU AND YOUR PHONE, SWIM UP TO YOU AND SAY, YOU MUST BE HERE TO SEE ME. COURTIS: SHE'S THE REAL THING, AND THE PARAPHERNALIA, I MEAN ALL THIS STUFF, THE MARKETING IS -- SHE'S THE NEW MICKEY MOUSE. >> IT'S BEEN NEAT I MEAN A TON OF COMPANIES HAVE SUPPORTED THE ZOO AND GET TO SHARE THAT, AND THAT'S TERRIFIC. IT HELPS OBVIOUSLY IN HER CARE AND CARE OF OTHER ANIMALS, HELPS IN OUR CONSERVATION PROGRAM SO IT'S IT'S BEEN NEAT ALL ALONG. IT IS ATTRIBUTED TO HELP PEOPLE LOVE HER. THAT FIRST YEAR WE HAD THE FIONA 1K AND IT WAS, IT WAS A WALK MORE THAN A RUN. AND IT WAS WHEN SHE TURNED 1000 POUNDS. I FORGET WHAT HER AGE WAS. HONEST TO GOODNESS, IT WAS DRIVING RAIN. I MEAN, DRIVING RAIN. THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HERE WITH THE T-SHIRT ON. I'M COMING FOR THE FIONA THING SO IT'S, IT'S AMAZING. COURTIS: TERRIFYING MOMENTS AT THE ZOO, AND ONLY WLWT HAS VIDEO OF IT. COURTIS: SHE CAME AT A TIME THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE ZOO'S LOWEST POINT. TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT GETTING THROUGH THAT. AND I THINK THAT WHOLE JOURNEY FROM HARAMBE TO FIONA IS SPEAKS VOLUMES ABOUT THE ZOO'S SUCCESS. >> IT DOES. THAT WAS CERTAINLY A LEARNING CURVE FOR ALL OF US BECAUSE THE ZOO WAS PACKED THAT UNFORTUNATE DAY THAT THE BOY GOT IN WITH HARAMBE, AND WE HAD TO SHOOT HIM. AND THAT WAS A DIFFICULT CALL BUT IT WAS A CALL WE WOULD MAKE AGAIN. WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE IS SAFE, BUT IT WAS A TERRIBLE LOSS. AND A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY SO YOU KNOW SOMETIMES TERRIBLE THINGS HAPPEN, BUT IT'S JUST THE TRUTH. I THINK WE GOT THROUGH IT BY BEING STRAIGHT WITH PEOPLE FROM THE FIRST DAY AND SAY THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED. AND NOBODY'S POINTING FINGERS, AND NOBODY'S SECOND GUESSING. WE DID OUR JOB. LACEY: UP NEXT, AS THE ZOO NEARS IT'S 150TH ANNIVERSARY THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT. WHEN LET'S TALK CINCY CONTINUES. COURTIS: CONSIDER THIS. PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC, THE CINCINNATI BUSINESS COURIER REPORTED ONLY KINGS ISLAND AND THE MUSEUM CENTER HAD A HIGHER ATTENDANCE. MORE THAN 1.7 MILLION PEOPLE MADE THE ZOO THEIR DESTINATION OF CHOICE IN 2019. THE ZOO IS POSITIONED TO SOAR IN THE FUTURE. >> 3, 2, 1. COURTIS: YOU BROKE GROUND IN JUNE. TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT AND THE SECOND PART OF THAT IS JUST GIVE ME YOUR, YOUR VISION OF THE ZOO, GOING FORWARD. >> WELL, YEAH, THIS SUMMER IN JUNE, WE BROKE GROUND ON OUR BIGGEST EXHIBIT EVER ELEPHANT TREK, FIVE-ACRE FACILITY, BIG YARD FOR RELEVANCE. IT WILL ALLOW US TO DOUBLE THE SIZE OF OUR HERD. JUST GETTING STARTED. WE'LL TAKE BEFORE, WE HAVE FOUR NEW ONES THAT ARE FLYING HERE ON AN AIRPLANE NONSTOP ON DHL FROM THE DUBLIN ZOO IN IRELAND. WE HOPE THAT THE BARN -- JUST GOING TO BE VERY, VERY BIG IN THE YARD WILL BE READY IN 2023. AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO HAVE THAT. IT WON'T OPEN TO THE PUBLIC UNTIL 2024 BECAUSE THERE'S A NUMBER OF OTHER COMPONENTS. THERE'LL BE AN AREA FOR GIBBONS, WHICH ARE LESSER APES FROM SUMATRA AND BORNEO, THERE'LL BE ASIAN OTTERS, AND A LOT OF OTHER GREAT AMENITIES DOWN THERE. BUT IT'S AN EXCITING TIME AND IT'S A REFLECTION OF, AS I MENTIONED, THAT CAMPAIGN MORE HOME TO ROAM, GIVING ANIMALS MORE SPACE, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, IT'S A REFLECTION OF THE ZOOS COMMITMENT TO CONSERVATION. MANY OF THE SPECIES THAT WE HAVE HERE AT OUR ZOO ARE THE SAME SPECIES WE HAD WHEN I SHOWED UP. BUT THERE ARE MANY MORE ENDANGERED SPECIES IN THE WORLD THAN. SO, IN THE CASE OF ASIAN ELEPHANTS, THEY ARE UNDER PRESSURE, BUT WE'RE PARTNERING WITH REALLY GOOD PARTNERS IN NORTHEAST INDIA ON ELEPHANT CONSERVATION PROGRAMS, AND WE HELP TELL THAT STORY. WE HELP SUPPORT THEIR GOOD WORK, AND THERE'S STILL HOPE FOR ELEPHANTS, MUCH AS IN OUR COUNTRY, THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF COMEBACKS. YOU KNOW, BALD EAGLES, AMERICAN ALLIGATORS, PEREGRINE FALCONS, GRAY WOLVES, GRAY WHALES, ALL THEIR NUMBERS ARE BACK UP TO WHERE THEY WERE 100 YEARS AGO. AND SO, YOU CAN MAKE CONSERVATION WORK IF YOU REALLY GET AFTER IT. SO, ALL THESE AREAS WHERE THE ZOO IS ENLARGING, WE WERE ALSO INVOLVED, HANDS ON THE GROUND WITH CONSERVATION, WHETHER THAT'S IN AFRICA WITH GORILLAS AND CHEETAHS OR IT'S IN INDIA WITH ELEPHANTS. SO, THE BRICK AND MORTAR IS PART OF IT TO CELEBRATE WHERE THE ZOO IS NOW GROWING, BUT REALLY IT HELPS OUR WHOLE PROGRAM THRIVE. COURTIS: I THINK THE GREAT THING ABOUT THIS ZOO -- AND WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS EARLIER. IT JUST FILLS YOU WITH HOPE. YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE JUST WALKING THROUGH THEIR SPACE HERE AND THAT'S INTENTIONAL. >> RIGHT. AT OUR ZOO, WE ARE FORTUNATE WE HAVE A GREAT TEAM OF THE ANIMAL EXPERTS AND THE CURATORS WORKING WITH ARCHITECTS AND PLANNERS SAY ALRIGHT, HOW CAN WE TAKE WHAT WAS SAY, WE'RE RU GALLEONS THAT WAS A VERY THREADBARE PART OF THE ZOO CALLED WILDLIFE CANYON. ITS HEYDAY WAS BACK IN THE 1990S WHEN WE HAD SUMATRAN RHINOS. THEY WERE THE ONLY ZOO THAT EVER FIGURED OUT HOW TO FEED THEM AND BREED THEM, BUT ONCE THEY LEFT, IT WAS KIND OF THREADBARE, SO WE SCRAPED IT, PUT IN A TERRIFIC EXHIBIT AND IT'S ONE OF THOSE GOING FROM GOOD TO GREAT. BECAUSE MANY PARTS OF THIS ZOO WERE BUILT IN THE 1930S, AND THEY WERE REVOLUTIONARY THEN. YOU KNOW, OUR MONKEY ISLAND OR VALTTERI THE BEAR LINE, THE 90 YEARS LATER THEY'RE WORN OUT, SO A LOT OF OUR NEW EXHIBITS ARE DOING JUST THAT, SAYING LET'S REINVENT THIS AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO HAVE SOMETHING'S REALLY GREAT FOR THESE ANIMALS. COURTIS: THAT DOES IT FOR FOR THE PROGRAM. THANKS FOR JOINING US. WE WILL SEE YOU NEXT WEEK FOR ANOTHER EDITION OF "LET'S TALK CINCY."

Fiona is turning 5. It's almost time to think about boys

Updated: 3:55 PM EST Dec 2, 2021

They grow up so fast. World-famous Fiona the hippo the Cincinnati Zoos sassy heartthrob is just weeks away from her fifth birthday. Born Jan. 24, 2017, at the Cincinnati Zoo, the Nile hippopotamus has reached a certain level of maturity. When she turns 5, it could be time for Fiona to be a little more curious about boys. According to Wendy Rice, the head keeper at Cincinnati Zoo's Africa Department, Fiona needs to be at least 5 before she thinks about finding a boyfriend. And even 5 could be pushing it. Above video: An inside look at the Cincinnati Zoo, a WLWT special But what ultimately will decide Fiona's potential future romance?"The genetics are basically what's going to matter most," Rice said. "If and when Fiona were to get a breeding recommendation someday, it would be based entirely on who was genetically the best match for her that may or may not be Timothy."Fiona's genes are valuable in the world of Nile hippopotamuses. And eventually, Rice said the goal is to have Fiona breed if she can. But we're still talking a bit down the road. What happens then?RELATED: Fiona celebrating 5th birthday in January and you can be a part of the party"We obviously don't want her going anywhere," Rice said. "We love her. She's our baby and this hometown loves her. We're fairly certain people would riot if we said Fiona was leaving. We're hopeful that if she gets a breeding recommendation, that a male would be brought here for her so she wouldn't have to leave Cincinnati."Fiona the hippo was thrust into the spotlight due to her remarkable survival story.Born six weeks premature at the Cincinnati Zoo on Jan. 24, 2017, Fiona weighed only 29 pounds at birth 25 pounds less than the lowest recorded birth weight for her species. She survived because of her animal care team's tireless efforts to save her and has inspired many to care about her species and wildlife.Now weighing a healthy weight for a hippo her age, Fiona is remarkable for being unremarkable, just a 4-year-old hippo who almost didn't make it.It's her survival story and massive personality that made Fiona a worldwide phenomenon.She changed the world. When she was born, I had never seen anything like it," Cincinnati Zoo director Thane Maynard said. The way it hit was really like lightning in a bottle. The saved-from-the-brink premature story was part of it, and phenomenon of Facebook and other social media sites as people followed her on the web.She took over the world, no doubt about it, Maynard said. The number of people shes reached through all of that are so vast, its almost like youre making it up. I mean, in the billions of people!

They grow up so fast.

World-famous Fiona the hippo the Cincinnati Zoos sassy heartthrob is just weeks away from her fifth birthday.

Born Jan. 24, 2017, at the Cincinnati Zoo, the Nile hippopotamus has reached a certain level of maturity. When she turns 5, it could be time for Fiona to be a little more curious about boys.

According to Wendy Rice, the head keeper at Cincinnati Zoo's Africa Department, Fiona needs to be at least 5 before she thinks about finding a boyfriend. And even 5 could be pushing it.

Above video: An inside look at the Cincinnati Zoo, a WLWT special

But what ultimately will decide Fiona's potential future romance?

"The genetics are basically what's going to matter most," Rice said. "If and when Fiona were to get a breeding recommendation someday, it would be based entirely on who was genetically the best match for her that may or may not be Timothy."

Fiona's genes are valuable in the world of Nile hippopotamuses. And eventually, Rice said the goal is to have Fiona breed if she can. But we're still talking a bit down the road. What happens then?

RELATED: Fiona celebrating 5th birthday in January and you can be a part of the party

"We obviously don't want her going anywhere," Rice said. "We love her. She's our baby and this hometown loves her. We're fairly certain people would riot if we said Fiona was leaving. We're hopeful that if she gets a breeding recommendation, that a male would be brought here for her so she wouldn't have to leave Cincinnati."

Fiona the hippo was thrust into the spotlight due to her remarkable survival story.

Born six weeks premature at the Cincinnati Zoo on Jan. 24, 2017, Fiona weighed only 29 pounds at birth 25 pounds less than the lowest recorded birth weight for her species. She survived because of her animal care team's tireless efforts to save her and has inspired many to care about her species and wildlife.

Now weighing a healthy weight for a hippo her age, Fiona is remarkable for being unremarkable, just a 4-year-old hippo who almost didn't make it.

It's her survival story and massive personality that made Fiona a worldwide phenomenon.

She changed the world. When she was born, I had never seen anything like it," Cincinnati Zoo director Thane Maynard said. The way it hit was really like lightning in a bottle. The saved-from-the-brink premature story was part of it, and phenomenon of Facebook and other social media sites as people followed her on the web.

She took over the world, no doubt about it, Maynard said. The number of people shes reached through all of that are so vast, its almost like youre making it up. I mean, in the billions of people!

Originally posted here:
Fiona is turning 5. It's almost time to think about boys - WLWT Cincinnati

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The Calgary Zoo is planning for the arrival of a baby gorilla sometime in April or May 2022.

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The zoos 20-year-old western lowland gorilla Dossi is expecting her first baby. The father is the troops silverback leader, Jasiri.

We are cautiously optimistic as this is Dossis first baby, said Jamie Dorgan, director of animal care, health and welfare. Gorilla pregnancies are more likely to be unsuccessful the first time. There are lots of challenges ahead of us but the animal care, health and welfare team will be supporting Dossi every moment along the way.

Kim Walker, animal care manager for the Rainforest and South America sections at the Calgary Zoo, said the team working with Dossi will start a night watch in March, where technicians will be monitoring the troop 24/7.

(The night watch is necessary) because she could go into labour a little bit earlier, Walker said.

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Ongoing training is actively happening to ensure the process of Dossis pregnancy runs smoothly.

We are training her to pass the baby to us in case we have to supplement the bottle feed, Walker said. We also have another behaviour where shell put the newborn in a box and we can safely retrieve the baby in case veterinarians need to examine it any closer.

According to Walker, while the team is hoping for a successful birth, there is always the chance something can go wrong.

We are doing everything we can to support her and the troop for a successful birth and pregnancy, she said.

Issues arise within pregnancies due to the process being new for expecting mothers, Walker said. She added there was an unsuccessful birth earlier this year with 12-year-old Yewande.

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There was nothing wrong with the infant, it was just a very long labour for her, she said.

Zoo officials do not plan to intervene in the birth unless the health of the mother or baby is at risk.

The birth will mark a hopefully important milestone, as Walker said the wild gorilla population has declined by 80 per cent a grim statistic considering it comes from only the last 30 years.

There are dwindling numbers out there and we are doing everything we can to help, Walker said. If we have to, we may have to look at possible re-introductions into the wild if they do go extinct.

Through what Walker calls a dating service of sorts, also known as the Species Survival Program, members look at genetics and try to find the best match for a potential mother to ensure success in reproduction.

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Walker said after the loss of Kakinga in May 2016 , it took nearly three years to bring in Jasiri, due to the many factors that go into finding the right suitor.

They really have to look at what male would be best for the troop for the females to be safe, she said. We also have to find out if well have a good diversity of genetics if this male comes in to breed.

Kakinga, who died at age 37 after developing a large tear in his aorta, was successful in siring nine offspring while at the zoo.

He did leave a really good lineage, Walker said.

If Dossi successfully gives birth, it will be the first baby gorilla at the zoo since 2016, when baby Kimani was born.

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Calgary Zoo gorilla 'Dossi' expecting her first baby in the spring - Calgary Herald

Nature is full of big questions that are easy to ask and hard to answer. With some good old-fashioned hard work and help from a humble, gilled vertebrate, though, Michigan State Universitys Sarah Fitzpatrick and Isabela Lima Borges have made headway on one of those mysteries.

MSU Assistant Professor Sarah Fitzpatrick

The Spartans helmed an extensive study of Trinidadian guppies to gather elusive data on relatively short swims. This information can help explain the larger mystery of why some individuals leave the safety of home to pursue life elsewhere.

Traveling can be dangerous and it takes energy. Given all the risks, why do things move around at all? said Fitzpatrick, an assistant professor of integrative biology in the College of Natural Science based at W. K. Kellogg Biological Station, or KBS. Its such a fundamental part of ecology that we know so little about.

Answers to this question relied largely on theories, but thanks to a new study published in the journal Ecology Letters on Nov. 25, the team provided concrete data to back these up.

MSU graduate student researcher Isabela Lima Borges

The data are also valuable from a conservation standpoint, said Borges, the first author of the new study and a graduate student researcher in the Department of Integrative Biology, also at KBS. By revealing more about an animals natural behavior, researchers can better spot when human activity starts to change it.

The team showed that although most guppies stayed put throughout their lives, males that ventured off were more likely to have offspring than their homebody counterparts. Females tended to move less and also saw no advantage to moving more. Still, there was a clear reward for males that swam the coop.

We get the chicken and the egg, said Borges. We see that males move more and that males benefit more from moving.

This wasnt a total surprise. Theory suggests that because staying in ones home is often safer for example, theres a lower risk of being eaten there must be an advantage to traveling. Otherwise, why leave? But the data to confirm the benefits were scant.

What we did was go further and track advantages for guppies that left home, said Fitzpatrick, who is also a core faculty member of MSUs Ecology, Evolution and Biology program and the coordinator of the KBS Molecular Ecology and Genomics Lab. Its cool to see a result that makes sense.

Female guppies, like the fish on the left, saw no reproductive advantage from leaving home. On the other hand, males, like the fish on the right, who moved more had more offspring. Credit: Emily Kane

Though the reproductive exploits of the unassuming guppy may not seem like big news, they can inform how other species answer the should-I-stay-or-should-I-go question.

Although this is a study of one species, there are many broader theories that can be informed by it, said Borges. For example, we expect to see this behavior in other species that dont have male parental care.

These broader implications are made possible by the Trinidadian guppys special place in science. The fish live in streams throughout Trinidad and each stream presents the guppies that call it home with slightly different conditions. Thus, the different streams are almost like different iterations of the same natural experiment, Borges said.

Because of this, scientists have studied the fish for decades and have established the guppy as a model organism. With a wealth of history and knowledge at their disposal, scientists can use what they learn about guppies to inform their understanding of larger motifs in the natural world.

Its similar to how scientists have long relied on fruit flies to test ideas about genetics and evolution in the lab, Fitzpatrick said, with a few notable differences. Guppies have backbones and scientists can study them in the wild with relative ease.

I tell people that guppies are the fruit fly of the vertebrate world, said Fitzpatrick, With them, we can study evolution in action in natural environments.

The team used butterfly nets to extract Trinidadian guppies from their home streams. Credit: Courtesy of the Fitzpatrick Lab

That said, the study was still intensive. This was super hard and this is an easy species to study, Borges said, which helps explain, in part, why such robust data hadnt been available before.

Working with collaborators at Colorado State University and the University of Texas at Austin, the researchers tattooed about 1,300 guppies. The researchers essentially color-coded individual fish with small injectable tags to track the guppies movements.

The team then fished the guppies out of their streams once a month for a year, noting their position, taking photographs and recording other measurements before returning the fish to the water.

The data showed that most fish stayed in the same pools they were born in, but others ventured dozens of meters away (moving more than 10 meters or about 33 feet was considered far for a guppy). The record holder swam around 250 meters a bit over 800 feet.

The male Trinidadian guppy is a colorful fish, even without tattoos. Credit: Emily Kane

Beyond documenting the reproductive benefit of moving, the team also noted other trends in their data. For example, larger males were more likely to move farther than smaller males. And fish that lived longer tended to move more.

Yet, for all the answers this study offers, Fitzpatrick hopes the work helps inspire simple questions, even for folks who dont study ecology or evolution.

I would want people to look outside and wonder when they see an animal, how far from home has that individual moved and why? she said.

Continued here:
Mating, tattoos and leaving home: A tale of growing up guppy - MSUToday

One young producer is taking the goat industry by the horns and giving it a good shake-up as she aims to breed the ultimate crossbred goat.

Emily Watts is a 22-year-old go-getter from South-West Queensland who runs a goat breeding operation on her family properties between Dirranbandi and Bollon.

Ms Watts runs her goat stud alongside her parents, Catherine and Lachlan, who are also the namesakes for her stud, Catlok goats.

The Watts family, who originally ran trade cattle prior to the recent drought, decided to focus on goats as their main operation in 2016 after the lack of rain forced them to look for a more sustainable option.

Catlok focusses on the cross-breeding of Boer bucks and Rangeland does, which the family currently operate across 17,000 ha on their two properties.

"We started just mustering Rangelands for whoever wanted us to muster them and then we bought some in as well, and just kept doing fences internally," Ms Watts said.

"We got to the point where we put a big exclusion fence around both of our places and then we started to introduce the crossing of the Boers to our Rangeland does."

Catlok focus on cross-breeding Boer bucks with their Rangeland does. Photo: Georgia Hoolihan Photography,

Ms Watts said the Rangelands add invaluable traits to the genetics, something which is often overlooked by breeders looking to build weight in their meat animals.

"We definitely don't want to be going full Boer, we want to keep the Rangeland genetic in there," she said.

"I just think the Rangelands, the way they've adapted to the conditions, they've lived here with no help and no support for so long.

"And their fertility is a massive thing, they're re-breed is unbelievable; they'll come in with a weaner on them and then they'll be back in kid, in an uncontrolled environment as well.

"I think also, they have pretty good feet, so when you cross them you're adding the carcase but you're keeping the tough western durability."

However, she also believes that the introduction of a full or first-cross Boer buck to the herd goes a long way in adding meat value, and in a much shorter timeframe.

"The Boers, their growth rates are unreal and their meat, you can just pick them up, they put so much on and it's so much quicker."

"I just think sometimes that running all rangelands is not as profitable, whereas putting the Boers with them has been a lot more profitable and competitive."

Also read: Future bright for goats

Also read: Nuffield scholar's vision for goat industry

Ms Watts went to work on a cattle station in the Northern Territory during her first year out of school, before going to work at a Brahman stud near Cloncurry in Western Queensland.

Working for the stud gave Ms Watts an insight into the professionalism of a breeding operation and spurred her to "have a good crack" with her own goat stud.

"When I was working on the cattle stud, it was great just being introduced to the way a stud works, what they do, how they go about their herd and how they collect data," she said.

"Then when I came home last year I thought, we've got some really good animals and there is interest in people wanting to put, either a full Boer buck or a first-cross buck, into their herd just to make their operation a bit more profitable.

"So I thought well, we need to really make something of this, start distinguishing our best stock and really having a go at the genetics side of things."

This demand for reasonably-priced stud animals is where Catlok has found their niche, using paddock sales as a platform to market goats that thrive in the tough Western-Queensland conditions.

"I really want to keep producing paddock sales, especially for people who have large mobs of Rangelands out west and they want to be able to purchase say, 20 or 40 bucks at a time to cover their mob," Ms Watts said.

"The prices at the moment are just insane and it's pretty hard for them to go to a sale and just spend all that money.

"I think, it's a pretty niche market that I feel we can fill because our animals are born in western conditions and they're not fed to the hilt on grain, they've just adapted to the conditions."

Catlok Goats is a family run operation in South-West Queensland. Photo: Georgia Hoolihan Photography.

Ms Watts will be furthering her education next year at Marcus Oldham College in Geelong, studying a degree in Agribusiness.

The young producer said she hopes to increase her knowledge in order to make her operation as profitable as possible, focusing on genetics and meat quality to achieve best market results.

"We just really want to focus on improving our genetics and start introducing the Myotonic breed, and purchasing genetics from Contender Meat Goats where they imported those genetics from America, their meat goat is very interesting.

"Meat quality and marbling, that really interests me and I hope that we can develop a product for that because there's going to have to be a time where people are putting more money into their genetics, so there needs to be a premium market.

"There's a really big gap in the market there so I'm pretty keen to improve the meat side of things."

It seems nothing will be slowing Ms Watts down as she plans to grow her business and continue making waves in the industry, saying her being a young woman only makes her work harder for success.

"What people have done in the cattle or sheep industry, that's what we want to do with goats," she said.

"We want to become a really good western goat meat stud, and I'm quite passionate about that.

"I think, especially being a younger person and a female, it's a good challenge because the industry can be a little male-dominated I suppose. I'm pretty keen to keep doing it for the long haul."

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Originally posted here:
Emily Watts takes on goat industry - Queensland Country Life

CEDAR GROVE - One moment the November sky above Cedar Grove Ornithological Research Station was an inert cobalt canvas streakedwitha few white cirrus clouds.

The nextabuff-colored speck soaredover the northern tree line and everything changed.

Danny Erickson of Wauwatosa and Jenn Schneiderman of Madison grabbed binoculars and looked out of the facility's viewing slot toparse out clues onthe fast-approaching mass of feathers, muscle and talons.

"Redtail," saidErickson, CGORS'banding director. "Keep coming, keep coming..."

The raptorsaw a potential meal on the open field below and set its wings indescent.

Seconds later it landed and was captured in a remote-controlled net.

Schneiderman sprinted across the grass to secure the flapping hawk and brought it inside for processing.

"An adult!" Schneiderman said as she presented the bird to the other staff on hand. "And isn't she beautiful?"

Moreover, the bird was exactly the age and speciesresearchers at the station hoped to capture, fit with a high-tech transmitter and release as part of a new Red-Tailed Hawk Project being run by Bryce Robinson of Cornell University.

Cedar Grove Ornithological Research Station got its start as a bird banding site in 1935 under the auspices of the Milwaukee Public Museum with assistance from the Civilian Conservation Corps.

In 1950, Milwaukee natives Dan Berger and HelmutMueller took over and ran it for more than 60 years. It's now runby the CGORS board of directors, volunteers and a few paid staff.

It could well be the mostimportant Wisconsin bird study siteyou've never heard of.

The station has the longest sustained record for observations and trapping of birds of prey in North America.

Since its inception, 45,516 birds, mostly hawks and owls, have been captured, banded and released at the facility.

The work is conducted from Aug. 15 to Nov. 15 each yearin a modest buildingset on31-acres of Department of Natural Resources landnear the Lake Michigan shore in Cedar Grove.

Because of the nature of the work, the property is closed to visitors unless arrangements have been made in advance.

Prevailing westerly winds cause migrating birds of prey to concentrate near Wisconsin's Lake Michigan shoreas they move south.

As such, CGORS is perfectly situated forraptor research studies.

This year the CGORS crew caught, processed and released 788 birds of prey, including 334 saw whet owls, 175 sharp-shinned hawks, 131 red-tailed hawks, 73 merlins, 42 Coopers hawks, 17 peregrine falcons as well as a few each American kestrels, short-eared owls and northern harriers.

The birds are fitted with metal bands and the data areentered in a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service system. If a band is recovered, mostly when a bird is found dead, or if it's captured at another site, the physical tag can help fill in some blanks about bird movements or life history.

But that technology dates back several centuries.

That's why CGORS decided to work with the Red-tailed Hawk Project, said Suzanne Kaehler, board member and volunteer at the facility.

Attaching a GPS transmitter to a bird allows researchers to obtain locational data around the clock, yielding a far richer and more complete catalog of information.

"Redtails may seem common," Kaehler said. "But we actually don't know that much about them."

The species is native to Wisconsin and, since it can live in a range from urban to rural to naturalhabitats, is doing fairly well.

Indeed, if you see ahawk perched along a highway in the Badger State, odds are it's a redtail.

But is it a resident hawk in its year-round territory? Or a migrating bird taking a rest?

In Wisconsin, it could be either.

The Red-tailed Hawk Projectis working across North Americato study the species, said Robinson, a doctoral candidate at Cornell who is coordinating the research.

The two main pillars of inquiry are evolutionary history andmovement ecology.

"We have many unanswered questions," Robinson said. "Modern technology is, we hope, going to be a big assist in answering them."

As part of the work, researchers are attaching the GPS transmitters to the birds as well as taking blood samples for genetic testing and recording images of the individuals to help with phenotyping.

The solar-poweredtransmitters store locational data and download it whenever in range of a cellular phone tower. The technology allows researchers to constructa nearly 24/7/365 record ofthe birds' movements.

Red-tails are foundfrom Alaska and across northern Canada down to Panama and into the Caribbean.

Literature describes 16 subspecies of redtails, Robinson said.

But due to color types and other variations, it's not clear where to draw manyof the lines.

Among questions the work will attempt to answer: Is the Harlan's redtail found mostly in Alaska actuallya separate species? And is the Krider's redtail, a beautiful, lighter-coloredbird found mostly in the northern plains region, a distinct subspecies or simply a blondervariation of the more common redtails found in the Midwest and East?

About 30 transmitters were attached to redtails in 2020 and another dozen or so are being deployed this year, Robinson said.

Already"full cycle" information over the last year hasrevealed breeding sites in Alaska and northern Canada for some birds that flysouth for thewinter as well as identified other birds in the U.S. that are non-migratory.

It's also helped document behaviors of the species, such as the brooding period when maleredtailsfly widely to hunt and supply food for the females. During this time of "provisioning" by its matethe females stay on or very close to the nest.

Robinson has enlistedresearchers across the continent to participate in the study, including Nick Alioto at Michigan State University, Lucas DeCicco at University of Kansas, Allie Pesano at University of Minnesota Duluth and Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory, Neil Paprockie at University of Idaho, Nicole Richardson, Mark Robbins at University of Kansas Museum of Natural History, Brian Sullivan at Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Jesse Watson at HawkWatch International.

When Kaehler heard about it, she knew CGORS could bean ideal cooperator.

She contacted Robinson and organized the fledgling partnership.

Funding for the four transmitters (about $1,500 each) came fromdonations from Madison Audubon, Jim and Suzanne Otto and Kaehler.

They are the only transmitters attached to redtails in Wisconsin as part of the work.

Robinson visited the Cedar Grove facility in Octoberto conduct training on the transmitters and other aspects of the project.

The goal is to place the tracking deviceson adult redtails so data would help reveal breeding sites and migration information, if appropriate.

That's why although the CGORS crew is excited each time it bandsa raptor, the adult with the rust-colored tail carried into the facility by Schneidermanthat November morning generated a special buzz.

Erickson, the banding director, and Kaehler placed a hood over the bird to calm it.

Then they measured its tail and wing feathers, talons and beak.

It was then weighed (1,088 grams) and a 1 milliliter sample of blood was drawn.

Two snippets of feathers were cut, too, to assist with isotope studies.

The bird was then taken outdoors for a photo session with special attention paid to feather colors.

"Just look at those pantaloons," Schneiderman said, admiring the feathers on the hawk's legs.

Then came time for the GPS transmitter to be attached. The device, about half the size of a deck of playing cards, fit on the bird like a backpack.

A special adaptation has been added to the redtail transmitters this year: the solar panel has been raised about 1/4 inch from the main unit to help it extend above the bird's feathers and improve its access to sunlight for charging.

Once Erickson and Kaehler were convinced the unit's straps were tight enough to hold but loose enough for the hawk to fly and move normally, it was time for release.

Schneiderman carried the bird, now called Rosie, into the woodlot on the south of the property.

She held the hawk at shoulder height and with a slight boost, she let go of its legs.

The redtail didn't miss a beat. Itsoared once more, up and away to the south.

This time though its movements will add to the body of science and perhaps one day even help protect its species.

More information: Cedar Grove Ornithological Research Station is a non-profit, mainly volunteer group dedicated to raptor research. Donations can be made toP.O. Box 156, Glenbeulah, WI 53023 or via PayPal to rptrbander@gmail.com.

You can also donate to theCedar Grove Ornithological Research Station Fund established by the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin. Visit wisconservation.org to learn more.

To learn more about the Red-tailed Hawk Project, visit redtailedhawkproject.org.

THANK YOU: Subscribers' support makes this work possible. Help us share the knowledge by buying a gift subscription.

Excerpt from:
Smith: Hawk study seeks to unlock secrets of redtails - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Breast canceris the most common cancer in women after skin cancer and up to 15% of people with breast cancer have a genetic or inherited cause for the disease.

Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services.Policy

ResearcherCharis Eng, MD, PhD, explains what you need to know about breast cancer genes and genetic testing.

The termbreast cancer genesmeans genes that, when altered (mutated),increase your risk of getting breast cancer. These gene mutations shut down some of your natural cancer-fighting genes. When you dont have your full army of genes fending off cancer, your risk of certain cancers goes up.

BRCA1 and BRCA2 are the most common breast cancergenes when mutated, followed closely by PTENmutations, says Dr. Eng.But several other breast cancer gene mutations exist. We know ofat least14 differentgenesright now, and we are currently exploring several others, too.

These gene mutations arent limited to breast cancer risk. Some of these gene mutations may also increase the risk of:

Breast cancer gene mutations arent common in the general population, Dr. Eng says, but they are common in people who have breast cancer. About 10% to 15% of people with breast cancer have one of the breast cancer gene mutations.

You can inherit these gene mutations from either of your biological parents, and the cancers theyre linked tocanaffect both men and women so considerallyour relatives when thinking about your family history.

Genetic testing is the only way to know whether you have a breast cancer gene. These blood tests check for BRCA1 and BRCA2, as well as other known breast cancer genes.

If you have already been diagnosed with breast cancer, you may need genetic testing if you:

If you havent been diagnosed with breast cancer, consider genetic testing if you:

Genetic tests are helpful for people with risk factors, but not everyone needs them.

Testing everyone in the general population would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack, Dr. Eng says.Most people would get negative results. And right now, the world doesnt have enough geneticists tosee all those patients and do a follow-up. Knowing your family history is important because it tells us whoneeds to be tested or if you need to be tested.

If your doctor finds that youre at risk for hereditary breast cancer, they will refer you to a geneticsprofessional, such as a geneticcounselor, for genetic evaluation and pre- and post-test genetic counseling. Then, your blood is drawn and sent to a clinical lab for genetic analysis.

A geneticist (genetics expert) reads your blood test results and follows up with your provider. If you have a positive result, youll meet with your genetic counselor to discuss next steps for your care.

Having a positive genetic test result doesnt mean youll get cancer. It means you have a higher risk of getting breast cancer than people without the mutation.

Consider these statistics:

Even if you get tested and get a negative result, dont skip mammograms or other health screenings, and continue to follow the American Cancer Societys guidelines.

Most cases of breast cancer arent hereditary, says Dr. Eng.A negative result means you dont have the known gene mutations for breast cancer. But you can still get breast cancer.

A positive result for breast cancer genes can be difficult to deal with. But you can use this information to your advantage.

If we know you have a breast cancer genealteration, we can take extra steps to catch cancer early, when its most treatable, Dr. Eng says.Your providers can perform enhanced screenings starting at an early age, usually 25 or 30, depending on the gene.Knowledge is power.

More here:
Breast Cancer Genes Explained: How & When to Get Tested - Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic

Consider 100 baby boys and 100 baby girls born in 1950. Experts predict that 46 of the men and 61 of the women a third more will still be alive at age 80 in 2030.

Even Steven Austad, an expert on aging at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, didnt give statistics like that much thought until about 10 years ago. Everyone knew that women outlived men. He figured it was just because men had more heart disease.

But Austad, who is senior scientific director of the American Federation for Aging Research, is a sucker for topics that others take for granted, and he dug deeper. He learned that girls started out-surviving boys even before they were born and that their survival advantage lasted throughout life. It was present in virtually every country, rich or poor. Women were more likely to live through natural disasters, famines, pandemics (including COVID-19) and many of the diseases that most often kill human beings. Under almost any condition we can imagine, women do better, he said.

A rare upside for men was that those who made it to their senior years were less disabled than female peers. There were also surprising studies that found that a few drugs that extended the life of male mice did nothing for females. Thats a really stunning result, said Richard Miller, a biogerontologist who directs the Paul F. Glenn Center for Aging Research at the University of Michigan and has been studying life-extending drugs in mice. One medication, he said, worked in both sexes.

Austad and a growing cadre of researchers started to think that these differences in aging between men and women were fundamental to human biology and potentially much more complex and divergent than many had assumed. They are now in the early stages of studying how our chromosomes and genes, hormones and immune systems influence how long and how well we live, with an eye toward expanding our healthy lifespans.

If we could find a way to make men live as long as women and make women be as healthy as men later in life, then we would have an enormous impact on our lives, Austad said.

Candace Kerr, a stem cell biologist in the division of aging biology at the National Institute on Aging, agreed that understanding these sex differences could improve the health of both men and women as they aged. It paves the way to finding sex-specific targets for disease, she said.

For decades, scientists assumed that information they gleaned from male patients and male lab animals would naturally apply to females, as well. Since 2016, the National Institutes of Health has required scientists to incorporate males and females into the design, analysis and reporting of clinical research studies of people and vertebrate animals.

Now researchers are finding unexpected differences throughout our bodies, but they say its too soon to draw sweeping conclusions. I think that we are in a renaissance of sorts in really beginning to understand and appreciate the differences, said Dena Dubal, a neurologist at University of California-San Francisco who studies how to slow aging with a focus on hormones and genetics. Her research has found fascinating evidence of the benefits women may derive from their second X chromosome.

The signs that women are the tougher sex when it comes to health are copious. Eighty-five percent to 90% of centenarians are women. All of the worlds 10 oldest people with credible birth records were female, Austad said. In 2018, women died at a lower age-adjusted rate of 13 of the top 15 causes of death, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. There was no sex difference for stroke. Women were more likely to die of Alzheimers disease, although men who get dementia die of it more quickly, said Michelle Mielke, a Mayo Clinic epidemiologist who studies sex differences in neurodegeneration.

Women tend to die of the same basic things that men do, but they die at later ages, Miller said.

At the cellular level, womens brains look four to five years younger than mens, Dubal said. Many biological markers indicate faster aging in almost all of the tissues in male bodies, Kerr said. Women get heart disease later. Their vascular health is generally better than mens, although they have more disease in small blood vessels in late life, Mielke said. Womens immune systems respond more quickly to viral invasions. This is one explanation for why theyre more likely to recover. It may also be why theyre more prone to autoimmune diseases than men.

Then we come to what Austad calls the morbidity-mortality paradox. Men who survive into late middle age and old age tend to have less disability than women. One theory is that men die of diseases that women survive, but the women do not emerge unscathed. Many women will survive and remain fairly functional after diseases that men would have died from, Miller said.

Anne B. Newman, a geriatrician and epidemiologist at the University of Pittsburgh, added that women are more prone to arthritis, which causes disability. Everyone loses muscle mass with age, and women start out with weaker muscles and a higher percentage of body fat. Women are also more prone to osteoporosis after menopause, and that puts them at risk for broken hips. There are more older women with frailty, partly because frail men dont live long.

Women are just physically less endowed to keep moving as they get older, Newman said.

READ MORE: It's never too late to start moving, but you may not catch up to lifelong exercisers

As to why women live longer, the theories are many and complex.

The gap between male and female lifespan widened during the 20th century. Caleb Finch, a biologist at the University of Southern California who studied that phenomenon, thought lung cancer and heart disease accounted for most of the difference. He also studied an indigenous Bolivian population whose pre-industrial lifestyle included exercise and a healthy diet. People there had very little coronary artery disease, but men still had more evidence of blood vessel damage than women.

Newman added that women began living longer when better medical care meant they less often bled to death or became infected during childbirth. She thinks that qualities that allow women to successfully carry a child, such as the ability to tolerate stress and store additional nutrition, may lengthen their lifespans.

You cant ignore behavior. Men are more likely to smoke and eat fatty food. Theyre also less likely to see doctors regularly and get cancer screenings and flu and COVID-19 vaccines. They more often age in isolation. Behavior feels like more than half of the picture, said Aroonsiri Howell, a Temple Health geriatrician.

Young men are prone to risky and potentially deadly activities, a period that Austad calls testosterone dementia. Their death rate compared to womens slows after 35 or so, but its still higher.

Finch said trying to tease out whats affecting our aging is like analyzing a hoard of arrows shot into the air at the same time but traveling at different rates. Genes and hormones matter, but the role of culture and society in shaping the outcomes is also huge and not easy to define at the molecular level.

Beyond behavior, much current research focuses on hormones and sex chromosomes. Women have two X chromosomes, one from their mother and one from their father. Men have an X from their mother and a Y from their father.

Those two Xs give women a richer dose of X-related genes. In each cell of a womans body, one X dominates and the other is mostly inactivated, but its not always the same X. Early in life, the mom and dad Xs may split the work fairly evenly, but, as women age, the fitter X may take on a bigger role, Austad said. Plus, scientists now know that the inactivated X isnt really inactivated. About 15% of its genes are functional.

Austad thinks the Y deserves more attention than scientists are giving it, but its clear that it codes for many fewer genes (55) than the X (900). While the second X may give women a safety net of sorts if one of their Xs is faulty, a mans Y chromosome is not much help when theres a problem with his X. This is why certain X-lined diseases, such as fragile X syndrome, hemophilia A, and Duchenne muscular dystrophy are more common in men.

Dubals work with mice suggests that womens extra X complexity also gives women a longevity advantage. She used a technique that allows researchers to grow the gonads of one sex in the bodies of another, thus exposing them to the other sexs hormones. So, genetically female mice could have testicles and penises and male mice could have ovaries and vaginas. She compared four groups of mice: XX mice with ovaries, XX mice with testicles, XY mice with testicles and XY mice with ovaries. The XX mice lived the longest, regardless of their gonads.

The X accounts for about 5% of our genome, Dubal said, and it is rich in brain-related genes. This may help explain why women are more cognitively resilient. One of her studies found that 19 of those genes were associated with slower cognitive aging in women, but not in men. Three genes, meanwhile, were linked to higher levels in men but not women of misformed tau, a protein seen in the brains of people with Alzheimers.

Women may reap the benefits of the double-dose of X throughout their lives, but theres little doubt that things go downhill from an aging perspective after menopause, so hormones are clearly also a factor. Estrogen, the most important female hormone, drops markedly as a woman enters menopause. Testosterone production also slows in men.

Estrogens are thought to be protective against a variety of diseases, whereas testosterone seem to enhance the risk of disease progression, wrote Brnice Benayoun, a geneticist and cell biologist at the University of Southern Californias Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, in a 2020 paper.

The average woman reaches menopause at 51. Studies show that later menopause is associated with longer life.

Jennifer Garrison, a neuroscientist and chemist at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, focuses on the impact of ovarian aging in women. Menopause makes a womans body age about 6% faster, she said. It unleashes this negative cascade of health effects, including more heart disease, cognitive decline, and bone weakening. She said the ovaries are involved in important communication channels with the brain that have systemic physical implications.

She would like to do away with menopause entirely. Theres no biological imperative to have it, she said. She thinks menopause should be a choice, not something imposed on you by some out-of-date biology. She realizes that not every woman dreams of extra decades of periods and pregnancy fears. Pregnancy and fertility and menstruation can potentially be uncoupled from having functioning ovaries, she said.

No doubt it will take a while to figure out how to do that, and there is no similar fix available to aging men.

In the meantime, Temples Howell counsels male and female patients differently. She tells the men to worry about heart disease and high-fat diets. Women need to worry about preventing osteoporosis and falls.

READ MORE: Steps to prevent falls as we age

And we all can do the usual things that promote healthier aging: Eat good food, avoid smoking and exercise.

More:
In most ways, women age better than men and live longer. Scientists are trying to figure out why. - The Philadelphia Inquirer

The new Head & Shoulders Scalp X collection goes beyond just treatment to help you regrow hair and actually keep it around.

Theres a moment in every mans life when he has to look himself in the mirror and ask, am I losing my hair? Statistically, it happens way earlier than youd expect. Around two-thirds of men will see signs of hair loss by the time they are 35 and that number jumps to 85 percent by the time theyre 50, according to the American Hair Loss Association. But knowing youre not alone in the struggle doesnt make it any easier, especially if youre not sure whats causing itor what to do about it.

Read more: Best Grooming Products for Men

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, there are as many as 20 causes of hair loss, but for most men, its genetic (some say upwards of 95% of male hair loss is due to genetics). Obviously, treating something rooted in genetics, as opposed to, say, diet or stress, is tricky. Most traditional hair loss treatments focus on getting back the hair you lost, but dont do much to help it stick around.

Scalp X 5% Minoxidil Hair Regrowth Treatment for Men

$44.94

The new Scalp X collection from Head & Shoulders is designed to not only help regrow hair, but also retain it and strengthen the hair you still have, curbing the genetic aspect of male hair loss. The collection includes two productsa shampoo with zinc pyrithione and vitamin E and a hair regrowth treatment with minoxidil. The duo could help you not only grow back hair that youve lost but keep it around for longer.

Read more: Best Vitamins for Hair Growth

The centerpiece of the collection is the Scalp X Hair Regrowth Treatment For Men With Minoxidil ($44.99 for a 3-pack), a topical foam you apply to your scalp every day. It contains 5% minoxidil, the maximum strength you can get without a prescription and the ingredient is the only FDA-approved hair regrowth treatment on the market. It works by enlarging hair follicles that shrink during the hair loss process and effectively speeds up the life cycle of the hair.

But lets get reala minoxidil foam isnt exactly a new thing (you might know it from Rogaine fame). Whats most intriguing is the Scalp X Shampoo For Men. It contains zinc pyrithione, a typical treatment for dandruff (these are Head & Shoulders products, after all) and in this case, the anti-dandruff shampoo has another purpose. Zinc pyrithione can also increase hair strength to protect against damage, says Rolanda Wilkerson, Ph.D., Principal Scientist and Senior Director of Scientific Communications in Beauty Care at Procter & Gamble. Combined with vitamin E, an antioxidant that helps support scalp and hair health, it can help build up hair follicles to not only strengthen the hair itself, but help the scalp keep them firmly in place and help prevent loss by breakage. And of course, zinc pyrithione still helps with itch and flakes, a bonus for anyone trying to solve both issues at once, she says.

The two products in the collection have their own unique benefits and to get them, you dont necessarily have to use them together (though, we say, why not cover your bases). Use the treatment foam after you wash your hair with (or without) the shampoo , but Dr. Wilkerson recommends using the treatment foam twice a day every day even if you dont wash your hair (because, really, who is washing their hair twice a day) as you dont have to rinse it out. Results begin to show after about three months of consistent use and side effects are minimalthough when you stop using minoxidil, results stop, too. While you should consult a dermatologist before starting any sort of hair loss regimen, you dont need a prescription for Scalp X. Its available now on Amazon and soon at your local drug store. With accessibility like that, were ready to grow.

Read more: Best Hair Products for Men

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Inside Head & Shoulders' New Hair Loss Treatment That Actually Works - menshealth.com

FRIDAY, Nov. 19, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Young African American patients have had an increasing burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and worsened in-hospital outcomes, though with improved survival odds, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2021, held virtually from Nov. 13 to 15.

Rupak Desai, M.B.B.S., from the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and colleagues compared the burden of CVD risk factors and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and in-hospital outcomes among young hospitalized African Americans (18 to 44 years). The analysis included 1,341,068 admissions in 2007 and 1,581,675 in 2017 identified from the National Inpatient Sample databases.

The researchers found that the 2017 cohort often had younger (mean age, 30 versus 31 years), male (30.4 versus 28.8 percent) patients with higher nonelective admissions (76.8 versus 75 percent). The 2017 cohort also showed a rising burden of traditional cardiometabolic comorbidities, congestive heart failure, chronic pulmonary disease, coagulopathy, and depression, along with an increased likelihood of diabetes, obesity, and smoking and notable reductions in alcohol abuse and drug abuse versus the 2007 cohort. Worsening in-hospital outcomes included MACE (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.21), acute myocardial infarction (aOR, 1.34), cardiogenic shock (aOR, 3.12), atrial fibrillation/flutter (aOR, 1.34), ventricular fibrillation/flutter (aOR, 1.32), cardiac arrest (aOR. 2.55), pulmonary embolism (aOR, 1.89), and stroke (aOR, 1.53). However, the 2017 cohort showed a decreased rate of percutaneous coronary intervention/coronary artery bypass graft and all-cause mortality compared with the 2007 cohort.

"Many potential factors seem to be responsible for these findings, including less frequent annual wellness visits; absent or insufficient screening measures at a younger age; genetics; stress; an unhealthy diet; a lack of awareness or insight into a healthy lifestyle; and even financial constraints," a coauthor said in a statement.

Press Release

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AHA: Risk for Heart Disease Up for Young Black Adults in the U.S. - HealthDay

Em is a non-binary person speaking out the pressure they feel to be thin.Photo: Emily Bashforth

Unrealistic beauty standards are pervasive in all areas of society. However, non-binary people face unique pressures to look a certain way in order to be accepted. Restrictive ideals surrounding androgyny and thinness often leave trans, non-binary and gender nonconforming folk feeling invalidated and uncomfortable within their identity. This has led to a spike in eating disorders amongst trans youth, and prolonged battles with gender dysphoria.

25-year-old Em identifies as trans, genderqueer, transmasc and non-binary. They are also fat. They have known they are genderqueer for over four years, but continue to explore their relationship with their gender.

Related: This mom handled her sons coming out as trans in the most mom way possible

Despite feeling assured in their identity for several years, Em often feels that they fail to meet a non-binary beauty standard.

There is a widely accepted image of the skinny androgynous AFAB [Assigned Female At Birth] white enby [non-binary] that is most peoples first conception of what non-binary looks like. I think this image gets held up because it is the most palatable in our current culture of patriarchy and white supremacy. The truth is, there should be no general understanding at all of what non-binary looks like. The only way to be non-binary is to not identify as binary female or binary male. Anything outside of or between that can be grouped under this umbrella label and can look however a non-binary individual wants, they share.

Em explains that the goal of non-binary presentation always seems to be androgyny, and there is something about fatness that we have decided is not androgynous.

On the surface level, there are obvious things like fat AFAB folks are more likely to have larger, harder to conceal chests, and to have fat sitting in places like hips that create a curvier, feminine body type. But deeper than that, Im convinced there is a relationship between the way that fat binary folks are expected to perform gender to a higher standard in order to be deemed attractive, and how to be androgynous you must not be fat at all.

Em feels the pressure to be thin in order to be non-binary has definitely muddied their gender journey.

They find it much easier to present as masc and to identify with maleness, because it is widely accepted that men can be fatter than women and still be considered attractive.

In my experience, I can go shopping and buy pants that fit my waist in the mens section, but they dont sell pants that fit my waist in the womens section. Though fatness is not the beauty standard for men, society is designed to accommodate fat men more than fat women. The result of this is that I am constantly feeling unable to play with gender expression.

19-year-old Alex echoes that standards in the fashion industry take a toll on non-binary people simply being able to exist as themselves.

A lot of mainstream non-binary people are thin, including actors and influencers. As well, I think LGBTQIA+ people are expected to be thin because were supposed to be fashionistas, and there is a widespread issue within fashion that clothes only look good on thin people, and that skinny is synonymous with stylish.

Alex admits that the expectation to be thin as a non-binary person can be overwhelming, and they want people to know that non-binary people arent some type of mass produced doll.

Theres an image that non-binary people are supposed to conform to. This constrains me so badly from wearing what I want to wear, or experimenting. My mental health has really suffered as a result of this, and I fear abuse when I go outside as other people look at my body.

So, how does Alex practise self-care when the pressure to squeeze themselves into a mould mounts up?

I think sweatpants are the greatest invention ever. They allow me to walk around the house without seeing my body. But also, if I need to go out, I can still put together an outfit that makes me feel hot. Its just important for people to do what is comfortable for them, because you are with yourself your whole life. You have to look after yourself.

Anna, 22, knows all too well the feeling of needing to be thin in order for society to recognise them as non-binary.

On top of unaccepting partners and being misgendered by parents, they battle with depression and an eating disorder, mental illnesses that are only exacerbated by pressures to be thin.

Theyre currently in a place of finding their true self, but this proves difficult when the media and misconceptions perpetuate the androgynous non-binary stereotype.

I feel a lot of androgyny is connected to looking like an adult boy. I was born in a female body that cant just turn into a male body. My genetics prevent that. Yet I have breasts and hips that are sexualised and visual female body parts and make people see me as female, which I dont want. Im neither a man nor a woman.

Anna shares that trying to reframe their own transphobia provides comfort when the pressures to look a certain way get loud.

I am who I am. I matter. My identity matters. I find reading about other enby and trans people also helps a lot and reminds me I am not alone with this. I also purchased a binder recently, which brought me gender euphoria, since I can now hide my breasts. I wear it when I feel really uncomfortable in my female body.

They also want society to take the focus away from gender, allowing things to just be rather than labelling them as male or female.

I want to scream at the top of my lungs that non-binary people exist. We are real. We are not a trend. We finally have the vocabulary to express ourselves so, please, dont just tolerate us, accept and respect us.

Visit link:
The pressure to be thin as a non-binary person - LGBTQ Nation

Illustration photo by Getty images.

A specialist general surgeon with a passion for cutting-edge breast care, Dr Liana Roodt explains that different breast sizes and types are completely fine, breasts are breasts. "Your breast size is a unique body trait determined by your genetics, body type, hormones and stage of life, she says. Your breasts will undergo many changes during your lifetime love each stage and your body regardless.

Breast size does not determine how attractive you are this is a horrible belief we have made our own mainly due to the often-distorted portrayal of the ideal female body by the media. Own your body and unique beauty with pride.

READ MORE |SA YouTuber on her breast reduction surgery - 'I felt the weight off my back when I woke up post op'

The vast majority of women have some breast asymmetry with one breast slightly larger than the other. This is completely normal. If there is significant asymmetry, especially during adolescence, be patient, it often changes and becomes far less noticeable once the acute developmental phase is over. If it persists and is bothersome, some procedures can assist with achieving better symmetry.

Some people prefer to have a breast reduction or enhancement and Dr Liana explains that people should always do their research before undergoing these procedures.

Cosmetic breast surgery is still surgery and comes with risks be sure that a decision to have a breast reduction or breast enhancement will improve your quality of life and confidence. Neither of these procedures is currently covered by medical aid and is a huge financial commitment too. Breast implants also have a shelf life and often needs removal and/or replacements after 10-15 years keep this in mind when you research these procedures.

READ MORE |Sharon Stones surgeon enhanced her breast size without her consent

Here is what Dr Liana has to say about some common myths regarding breast size.

Myth 1- The size of your breasts is related to how many men you have slept with - the more men you've slept with, the bigger your breasts will be.

This has to be the biggest lie. Absolutely not. Your breast size has nothing to do with your sexual history. Breasts grow and that is normal.

Myth 2 Your breast size is an indication of your femininity and sexual appeal.

This is not true at all. This becomes especially evident when you look at transgender patients who completely identify as male but may have very large breasts. A woman can have very small breasts and be incredibly feminine and appealing those factors have way more to do with your psychology and head space than your bra size.

Myth 3 Your breasts will stay the same size your whole life once you have gone through puberty.

This is not true hormonal fluctuation, pregnancy, menopause and even very subtle weight gain or weight loss can influence your breast size over your lifetime. This is also why we tend to advise young patients not to consider plastic surgery (breast enhancement or breast reduction) too early.

READ MORE |'I threw my breasts a farewell party before having them removed due to cancer concerns'

Myth 4 The bigger your breasts, the more fertile you are and the easier it will be to breastfeed.

This is false. Both fertility and a patients ability to breastfeed, are influenced by a plethora of factors of which breast size is not one.

Myth 5Certain types of exercise can enhance your breast size and prevent sagging.

This is unfortunately not true as the breast tissue is predominantly composed of fatty and glandular tissue not muscle. While having strong and well-developed pectoral muscles, a strong upper back and shoulders will improve your posture, it will not influence your breast size. Many athletes feel that their breasts get smaller as they train more and lose weight. Weight loss or weight gain has a definitive impact on breast size.

Myth 6Your bra size is standardized and therefore the same size bra will always fit you.

This is not entirely accurate although the sizes are standardized, bras are like any clothes. One brands size 34 jeans may fit you perfectly while another brands size 34 may be too small. The shape and other features of a bra (like an underwire) may also impact the comfort and fit of the garment.

Myth 7 Having large breasts means you have a greater risk of developing breast cancer.

This is nuanced and should be interpreted with caution a high BMI and high body fat are associated with an increased risk for cancer. If your body weight is healthy and you have big breasts, that is certainly not going to be a high-risk factor. Cancer risk is complicated whether you have large or small breasts, make sure you do your check-ups regularly.

READ MORE |Womens health is better when women have more control in their society

Stop worrying about your breast size, there are factors that contribute to breast size.Your genetics, and not just from your maternal line. Your mom and sisters may have small breasts, but you may find that a grandmother or aunt on either side of your family has larger breasts.Your body type and body fat as well as certain hormones are the main factors influencing your breast size.

Health is wealth having a healthy and strong body is the biggest gift! Try and focus on that privilege when you feel self-critical. Confidence has very little to do with how we look the most beautiful people in this world often suffer from very low self-esteem. Find your worth beyond your bra-size and embrace your unique beauty, says Dr Liana.

Have you been wrongly convinced that there is something wrong with you based on your breast size? Tell us about it here.

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Your breast size has nothing to do with the number of men youve had sex with, and more myths busted - News24

When your cannabis strains have remained popular for decades, are named in hundreds of hip hop songs, and inspire countless imitations, we think the title legend is a good fit. Mr. Sherbinski, the Cannabis grower responsible for the beloved Gelato (one of the most highly-sought after strains in the world), is one such legend.

Keep reading to learn where the Sherbinskis brand came from and how its strains have become cannabis cannon.

Before he took on the alias Mr. Sherbinski, the cultivating hegemon was Mario Guzman, son of Mexican immigrants and successful real estate broker in San Francisco. When the dot-com bubble burst the U.S. economy, Guzman made an interesting pivot.

At the suggestion of a friend, Guzman decided to turn to another entrepreneurial endeavor: cannabis cultivation out of his garage.

People hate on garage growing, Guzman said to Cannabis Now. But you look at that picture, the one that shows all the garages where Apple and Microsoft started, its true in cannabis too. A lot of the products that changed the culture of cannabis and strains came from garages.

When Guzman crossed paths with Jigga (the creator of Thin Mint Cookies) he became a co-creator of one of the strains to change the game. His collaborations with Jigga brought Sunset Sherbert and Gelato to life. Then Guzman modified the strains to fruity perfection.

Mr. Sherbinksi reached cannabis stardom once the hip-hop community got their hands on his weed. Rappers like Young Dolph, Future, Berner, and Lil Yachty have shouted out Gelato (often, more than once), helping to make this West Coast strain a global phenomenon.

Thanks to Gelatos explosive popularity, Mr. Sherbinski has come a long way from his garage and basement days. You can still find his strains in rap songs, but you can also purchase his brand of bud from licensed dispensaries across North America. Hes in the dispensary business himself as the owner of an elite cannabis shop (were talking rooftop garden, modern design, and premium products) in Los Angeles.

On top of his posh retail shop, Guzman owns growing facilities across California, including a one million square foot greenhouse in Santa Barbara and a 22 thousand indoor grow space in Sacramento. However, Guzman has created a lifestyle brand that offers much more than top-shelf cannabis.

Browse through the Sherbinskis online shop, and youll find all kinds of merchandise. Everything from Sherbinskis-branded batteries to cannabis leaf-covered accent chairs are available for nationwide delivery. This brand evolution is strategic national cannabis legalization is on the horizon and cannabis culture is shape-shifting once again.

The Sherbinskis origin story is quite different from the beginnings of cannabis corporations like Curaleaf and Green Thumb Industries, but Guzman is confident that theres room for legacy cannabis entrepreneurs like him.

The people that are running these $500 million hedge funds, they have smart people and big checkbooks, but I still feel like theres a shortage of people who are passionate and have been doing this a long time, Guzman said to the New York Times.

A balanced hybrid cross between Sunset Sherbert and Thin Mint, Gelato (AKA Gelato #42 and Larry Bird) is one the most popular weed strains in the world. Gelatos most abundant terpene is caryophyllene and tests show it holds an average of 17% THC.

Fans of Gelato love the strains gentle body high and fruity aroma, but we recommend that consumers new to cannabis or with a THC sensitivity take it easy Gelatos effects can come on quickly and powerfully.

Gelato was only the beginning for the Sherbinskis brand. The following strains are some of our favorite Gelato creations:

We cant include a list of Gelato genetics without starting with Sunset Sherbert. An indica-dominant hybrid cross between Girl Scout Cookies and Pink Panties, this strain was created by accident. Sherbinski left a male Pink Panties in a basement with a female Thin Mint Cookies. We dont know if love or marriage came first, but the two produced Sunset Sherbert, the strain that really got Sherbinksi started.

The offspring of Sunset Sherbert and Thin Mint Cookies, Bacio is an indica-dominant hybrid with more THC than its siblings. An average of 24% THC makes the Bacio the high-tolerance consumers best friend. Enjoy the Bacio at night to wind down with a relaxing body high and gentle euphoria.

Expect a fruity, creamy bouquet when you inhale Mochi, the indica-dominant hybrid member of the GSC family. Mochi consumers return to this strain again and again because of its energizing and creativity-promoting effects. Containing an average of 10% THC, creatives can relax without feeling sluggish, produce art that makes sense, and combine their fun with their therapy in one tasty toke.

Pink Panties was born in Mr. Sherbinskis garage by crossing a Burmese Kush and Florida Kush. Pink Panties is also the unplanned parent of Sunset Sherbert, Sherbinskis flagship strain. Containing an average of 16% THC and an abundance of myrcene, consumers of this strain report a relaxing high and relief from anxiety, depression, and PTSD.

A rare sativa-dominant hybrid, Acai Berry is a cross between Pink Panties and Sunset Sherbert. Fruity and energizing, Acai Berry makes a delicious daytime treat. Reviewers find that the high is relaxing but mild enough for daytime consumption.

Containing an average of 20% THC, Gello offers a potent high with a delicious aroma. Gellos flavor is similar to Bacios and Mochis, combing sweetness with earthiness for a rich and calming experience. Consumers describe Gellos effects as uplifting and enjoyable during the day or night.

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Sherbinskis Genetics and the Gelato Explosion - Wikileaf

Women's sports are about to change dramatically. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recently published a set of guidelines for international sports federations on the issue of transgender people to protect their rights. The new guidelines will take effect after the Beijing Olympics. In 2022 there will be many more transgender athletes, such as weightlifter Laurel Hubbard.

Ildus Akhmetov, M.D., Associate Professor at Liverpool John Moores University Research Institute of Sport and researcher at the Federal Medical and Biological Agency, in an exclusive interview with Metaratings.ru, shared his opinion on the IOC manifesto on transgender athletes.

Recently, we have heard a lot of emotional opinions of the State Duma members on this topic. From the scientific point of view, I would like to understand how dangerous this statement of the IOC is. What can we say about it now?

Yes, that's right, there is a danger to the sports movement. The IOC has removed itself, shifting the responsibility to the federations. In 2015, the IOC said that sports federations had the right to adopt their policies towards trans women. Since then, the federations started to act individually.

Wasn't the IOC originally based on testosterone indicators?

In 2004, the IOC recommended that only men who had undergone a gonadectomy (an operation to remove the reproductive organs) and taken testosterone-reducing drugs to be allowed to compete in women's competitions, but they had to wait two years after the operation.

Then in 2015, the IOC updated the rules and eliminated the need for a gonadectomy. At the same time, testosterone had to be lowered to 10 nanomoles per liter and kept at that level for at least 12 months. It was mandatory to be listed as a woman on the documents.

Some federations went their way, proposing stricter eligibility criteria. The rugby federation banned trans women from competing among women because they understood that there would be great risks of injury and, most likely, trans women would injure regular women. The athletics, cycling, rowing federations said that reducing testosterone to 10 nanomoles per liter was too mild a condition, and we should reduce it to 5.

When the IOC saw that everyone was starting to interpret and understand everything in their way and that there are some peculiarities, they just pulled themselves off. They said: "Guys, you decide everything on your own."

It must be added that the previous admission criteria left a loophole for some men. The fact is that there is a small percentage of people with low testosterone levels among the elite male athletes. For example, we found 2.5% of men with testosterone levels of less than ten nanomoles per liter in our Russian national team. It turns out that these men, who perform on a good level, despite the low level of testosterone, can change the sex in the passport and be easily sent to women's competitions. No one would be able to refuse their participation.

How does the decision to allow trans women to participate in women's competitions look from a scientific point of view?

To put it mildly, not quite logical. It turns out that the fight for minority rights in our sport implies a fight against the rights of the majority. It is not so easy to find a balance here.

There could be two options: a transwoman who became a woman before puberty is one thing. In Europe, in some countries, children before puberty can go for sex reassignment surgery or start hormonal therapy without parental permission. Then the human body will be arranged a little differently.

What if the person is already past puberty?

In such a case, there will be a clear advantage of a man. Firstly, muscle memory remains. Secondly, the male genotype is likely to continue to manifest itself, and there would be a clear advantage for a man who became a trans woman over other women. If we go back to testosterone, it is not a determinant of success in sport. By the way, the IOC has finally recognized this in the new rules. Because the contribution of testosterone to strength and sprinting ability is no more than 30-35%, other factors influence strength and speed. You must understand that men have other advantages besides testosterone that are not affected by surgery and hormone suppression.

A man is always taller, which is already an advantage. Men have a more defined bone mass, a stronger tendon and ligament apparatus, a lower risk of injury from strokes, falls in games, and other contact types of sports. If ciswomen and transwomen clash, ciswomen will break bones or tear ligaments. Men naturally have more muscle mass and less fat than women. Accordingly, this is also an advantage for any athletic activity. Besides, we must realize that men, on average, have 10% more fast muscle fibers, and they are actively used in strength sports, martial arts, and competitive sports, where speed and strength qualities are required.

There is also an element of psychology: men are emotionally more stable, they can get involved faster, they can be more aggressive, for example, in martial arts, and this is another advantage.

How well is this field studied when a person changes genders and prepares to compete among other genders?

Unfortunately, little research has been done on how a person's physical qualities change after sex reassignment surgery or hormone therapy. For sure, muscle mass might slightly decrease after hormonal correction. Accordingly, strength only slightly decreases. However, for example, a person's stamina and agility do not change.

It is well known that men are superior to women in many physical qualities. Therefore, in general, transwomen will keep the advantage. A simple example is Laurel Hubbard. Before the sex change, he lifted 300 kilograms. Seven years later, when the sex change happened, and he resumed training and became a woman, his record in competitions was 285 kilograms, which means that he worsened his results by 15 kilograms. But it's probably because of his age - he's 43 years old now.

Also, he made a pause in his career.

Yes, that could be an important factor, too. Altogether, it had such an effect that his strength performance dropped only by 5%. Most likely not because of the suppression of testosterone levels, but because of age and the long pause. It raises the question: how was he allowed to compete in weightlifting? Especially if you look at the current results of many weightlifters, Laurel claimed silver at the Olympics, but at the expense of all the failed attempts, there was no resonance, no scandal. Everyone got away with it because he failed the weight snatch and left the competition early.

At the same time, Laurel took many medals at local tournaments, outperforming the ciswomen who rightly expressed dissatisfaction. I don't think that's very fair to women. Another thing would be if they weren't winning medals but were just somewhere in the top 100, for example. Then let them do it, and we'll be watching and gathering statistics. But if they are going to qualify for prizes, then, of course, it's unfair to ordinary women.

It's clear with Hubbard. You said that some federations were making refinements on trans athletes, but that was an exception. Now it has to go as a stream. How do you get this kind of work started?

Sports scientists say that special studies need to be done for each sport, but there will be a problem with sampling. It won't be easy to find people, elite athletes, who would agree to participate. We need an adequate sample, at least 20 people in each sport, and, accordingly, to see if there is an advantage or not after the sex change.

How do we deal with the situation now that the number of transgender people in the Olympic movement has increased dramatically?

There are three ways to solve the problem. The first one is to allow the athlete to compete if it is proven that there is no gender reassignment advantage, but we have not seen this yet. It is an unlikely event.

The second option is to introduce a correction factor into the results of competitions within individual sports. For example, sometimes the Wilkes formula is used in strength sports, and it considers a person's weight and gender. Therefore, if there are competitions between men and women of all weight categories, you can equalize everyone with the help of Wilkes formula, and the strongest person may be a girl from a lightweight category. In that case, please compete in weightlifting or powerlifting, but we need to figure out exactly what the correction factor should be for transwomen. So far, it is not known.

The third option is to do separate competitions, but this is also a bit romantic because there are few transgender people, and it is unlikely to attract much attention. The spectacle will be low due to the small number of participants and little competition. In general, there are a lot of problems, and scientists are unanimous in the opinion that, to begin with, it is necessary to collect statistics on individual sports.

We covered the topic of transgender people. But how do scientists feel about allowing women to compete if they have high testosterone levels?

The situation here is different. The fact is that such women have not had a sex-change surgery but have high levels of testosterone naturally. Sports geneticists believe that such women should not be excluded from general women's competitions because it is part of their talent. In modern high-performance sports, medals are won exclusively by gifted men, and each has its advantage over the others. It may be testosterone, high height, defined muscle mass, high hemoglobin levels, reaction speed, and other factors, which may be due to rare genetic traits.

The history of testosterone in athletics is paradoxical. It all started with South African 800-meter runner Caster Semenya. After she won two gold medals at two consecutive Olympics, the IAAF and WADA commissioned a scientific study that showed that in the 400, 800, and 1500 meters, high testosterone levels gave an advantage over women with normal testosterone levels. Based on that study, the IAAF banned Semenya from international competition in the 800-meter run but said that let her testosterone levels drop if she wanted to participate. Caster did not want to do this essentially and continued to compete at the regional level. There are no bans in South Africa; she is a national hero there.

Going back to that sponsored study, there was no evidence that high testosterone levels give any advantage at 100 or 200 meters. Probably because of the small sample size. That's the paradox of the situation because you can't go out for the 400, 800, and 1500 meters, but you can go out for the 100 and 200 meter short sprints. You could say that Namibian track and field athlete Christine Mboma took advantage of this and won Olympic silver this summer in Tokyo. Our study showed that in the 100 and 200 meters, high testosterone also gives an advantage to women with high testosterone, but this has been established in all sprinting disciplines of many sports, not just track and field. Nevertheless, even though testosterone gives an advantage, I believe that women with high testosterone levels should not be prohibited from competing in women's events because every elite athlete has their strengths.

- After the IOC has left this issue alone, will we have to rely on the federations' sanity to introduce the criteria for admission competently?

That's right. The responsibility lies on the federations and their scientific groups. I think the number of scientific studies in this area is about to increase. One of my students, who deals with testosterone in sports, is going to Australia next summer, where he and his colleagues will conduct a series of experiments on transgender volunteers. Now, this is a very hot topic. We hope that in 5 years, when there will be some statistics, the issue will become clearer.

Can we assume that there will already be more transgender people at the Olympics in Paris?

I think so if there are transgender people who are comfortable in competing. Right now, many transgender people are in the shadows. It is psychologically difficult for them to perform because there will be a lot of attention to them, including criticism from female competitors and the media. Hubbard's example showed this. It all depends on how brave transgender people will be and whether the international federations will compete.

Is sport gradually becoming a compromise phenomenon with more blurred boundaries?

Yes, but I think when a lot of scientific evidence comes out, people will react appropriately, and emotional decisions will be reconsidered. Right now, a lot of people are trying to be tolerant of the issue of transgender acceptance. But as specific scientific studies come out, people will realize that somewhere there has been over-tolerance. Fair play should come first. Now the balance has shifted in the direction of tolerance. People are making hasty statements, trying to please minorities, and forgetting that there are science, honesty, and ciswomen, who are the majority. It's unfair to apply some policy to them that will shut them out once and for all from winning a medal. Even in chess, women can't handle the male competition. If we let trans women into all sports, I believe that they would take 90% of the medal places.

Some people might think that you are a person from Russia and say that because we are not the most tolerant country. Is your reasoning the thoughts of the entire global scientific community?

I am now presenting a weighted average opinion of most scientists who deal with the physiology, biochemistry, and genetics of sport. We have experts in sports science in the ethics and psychology of sport. They may have their own opinion on whether or not to allow someone to compete. That's another topic. On the other hand, I speak on behalf of scientists who deal with the biomedical issues of sport. We believe it is too early to allow trans women to compete because no data shows that they have no advantage over regular women.

Does it feel like there will soon be a debate about the participation of queer people who mentally feel that they are of a different gender but have not made any physical or chemical changes to their bodies? Example: This year, Canadian soccer player Rebecca Quinn became the first Olympic champion to identify as transgender publicly, but physically she remains a woman.

This is possible if we are talking about a particular country and local tournaments. But at the level of international competitions, such a scenario is not likely to happen because it is necessary to consider logic, science, and the interests of all countries and different cultures.

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"In a Clash With a Transgender Woman, the Ordinary Woman Will Break Bones." A Scientist From Liverpool On Transgender People In Sports -...

Publication date: Wednesday, November 17, 2021 news release

ROME (Current Affairs) Interview with Professor Guido Brunetti before November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

ilmamilio.it exclusive content

november 25 isInternational Day for the Elimination of Violence against WomenFounded by the United Nations in 1999. The issue is difficult, complex and sensitive. Mr Guido Brunetti Try to guide us in understanding female minds and behaviors.

To understand the dangerous phenomenon of femicide and violence against women, it is necessary to enter the still mysterious planet of the female world, whose analysis presents the specificity and variety of complex neurobiological, mental and emotional characteristics.

From the search emerges a multifaceted personality, always in perpetual change, sometimes an indefinite picture, intersecting with chiaroscuro influences, and difficult to predict. In fact, very little is said about the woman and little or nothing is known. After the remarkable studies of Freud and other authors, it is todays neuroscience that seeks to shed light on the mysterious aspects of women.

A cultural and scientific gap?

Certainly, ancient theories without any scientific value, stereotypes and prejudices have always characterized the female image, which since ancient times was considered inferior to men on a psychological, mental and social level. It is subjected to violence, humiliation, possession, control, evasion and hatred. Unfortunately, the expression is still About an ancient culture pervasive.

For women, the internal tragedy of the millennium.

Until the 20th century, most scholars believed that women were nothing more than smaller men in neurobiological terms and in any other sense. Therefore, little attention was paid to the personality of women and their physiology.

violence and humiliation

The phenomenon of violence against women and femicide has increased in recent times. There are many women murder victims, one every three days. The great health, economic, social and moral crisis brought about by the pandemic as Brunetti explains has had an alluvial effect on the emotional, mental and social structure of the individual, with serious repercussions in society. A fact that further emphasizes the urgency and importance of the issue we are studying.

violence? It is transgressive, transgressive, transitive. It is strength. A physical or verbal act of one individual towards another that causes biological, psychological and sexual harm. Violence has a neurobiological significance found in the oldest structure of the human brain. It is a destructive and self-destructive innate impulse, influenced by experiences and the social and cultural environment.

For us, the concept of violence transcends these dimensions. As we have already discussed on other sites with Professor Giovanni Puglia, the father of child neuropsychiatry in Italy, a process rape At the planetary level, its understanding is connected not only with the economic crisis, but above all with the social, moral and spiritual crisis.

We are witnessing an unstoppable decline in the values and principles that have underpinned civilization for thousands of years. A fluid world arises, insecure, anxious, opaque, elusive, devoid of certain points of reference.

What about violence against women?

Violence against women is considered a global scourge, a health problem of great proportions (United Nations). There is an emergency with serious delays in both European and Italian politics, lack of modern visions, unprepared personnel, social and political underestimation of the phenomenon and a lot more. From rhetoric and a lot of hypocrisy.

What is the contribution of feminism and the sexual revolution?

Feminist scholars, as well as many feminist experts, have announced the declining role of women, who are increasingly similar to men, in the competition for power. Over time, the feminist movement and the sexual revolution failed, due to the presence of aspects of utopia and discontent and the unresolved process of emancipation of women. Inverted masculine chauvinism emerged. The woman became a guinea pig, a bargaining chip, turned into a womb, a substance, an object of pleasure. His freedom is a false freedom. The fact is that a woman who today occupies a prominent position both professionally and intellectually angers if she is identified as a feminist.

You, Professor Brunetti, have mentioned scientific advances in womens knowledge.

We are entering an era where we are beginning to discover great female abilities. Indeed, in recent years, neuroscience has shown exciting new discoveries about a womans personality in terms of brain structure, mental processes, sexual impulses, and behaviours.

Women are no longer inferior to men, as women enjoy, among other things, genetic and immune system superiority along with sympathetic superiority.

The research then discovered that a womans neurological aspects, such as the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and childcare, are relevant components of her cognitive, social, and emotional development.

Are you saying that women have special gifts?

They have a unique brain structure.

The first differences in the brain appear as early as the eighth week of fetal development. Other research has indicated that less than 24 hours after birth, a newborn responds to another newborns cry. From a year ago, the girls gained a sense of empathy, became more sensitive to the suffering of others.

What are the other essential features?

And there are a lot of them. Women acquire unique and unusual qualities, such as verbal agility, the ability to decipher feelings and moods, form deep social bonds, the ability to smooth out conflicts, and nurture the people around them. By the age of two, they have a vocabulary three times richer than Those of the boys. In fact, they started talking earlier. They are adept at reading facial expressions and emotional nuances.

It has also been discovered that hormones have tremendous neurological effects and adapt the female brain to the point where they perceive reality and their way of life in a different way. The hormonal influence is important at all stages of female development. Motherhood, for example, causes massive hormonal changes, transforming the female brain, altering her structure and functioning.

sexuality

There are many theories, often conflicting and contradictory to each other. It was Freud who discovered child sexuality, emphasizing its centrality also to the genesis of every form of sexual perversion and neurosis.

Womens sexual circuits are associated with oxytocin, a substance that promotes, among other things, healing and emergence behaviors. Maternal influences contribute to the development of sexual differences.

Neuroscientists have proven that they are essential difference Of feminine nature compared to masculine. It is the gender identity of the brain that determines whether people do it or not they feel female or male. The female brain and the male brain have Different Sex systems also relate to sexual drives and love, a feeling that constitutes one of the most irrational states of the brain that can be assumed.

What conclusions should be drawn?

So there is scientific evidence for the differences between female and male brains. The brains of men and women look different at birth. Our brains are different and so are our minds.

Today, remarkable progress has been made in the fields of genetics, neuroscience, biology, neurohormonal development and thanks to remarkable technologies Mind Fantasies They define the famous author identifies a scientific revolution aimed not only at disrupting the methods of diagnosis and treatment in medicine and psychiatry, but our worldview and our millenarian concepts, starting with philosophical systems.

Therefore, there is a need concludes Professor Brunetti to use and enhance all the talents of the womans brain in order to promote the preservation of the species and the progress of mankind.

Anna Gabriel

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Violence against women a. Brunetti explains the role of science in understanding the female world - Hardwood Paroxysm

Elephants, which typically have tusks, are often hunted for the valuable ivory that their tusks are made of. Due to this poaching, elephants which are born without tusks have a higher chance of living and mating, causing an evolutionary trend towards naturally tuskless elephants. Photo byMagda EhlersfromPexels.

Recentlywhile procrastinating homework and scrolling through Instagram, I came across a picture of an elephant, to which my first response was,oh, cute! Then I read the associated caption,which talked about how,due toexcessive poaching,many African elephantsareevolvingto be born without tusksalsoknown asnaturally tuskless.

This is horrifying to think about on multiple levels. Although this change in the genetics ofelephantsmay seembeneficial to thematfirst glancebecauseit puts them at a lower risk of being hunted,thereis amuchdeeper issue.This isaharmfulmutation in their genetics that is lethal to male elephants,and is thus likely to have long term effects on the African elephant population.

Normally, both male and female African elephants are born with tusksmade of ivory, and thus valued by poachers. When these elephantsare huntedfor their ivory, they are oftenunable to pass down their genesto future generations, making it more likelyfortuskless elephantstopass downtheirgenes.

This has its own problems, genetically speaking. When female elephants are born tuskless, there is a variation on one of their two X chromosomesthatgives maleoffspringa50/50 chancetoinherit this variation. Male elephants that receive this mutated X chromosomeareunable to survive.Although this genetic variation maybe helpfulforfemale elephants astudyshowed that over a 28-year period,female tuskless elephants were five times more likely to survive than female elephants with tusks itislethalto the male elephant population.

Poaching elephants for their ivory is horribleandhas greatconsequences for their speciesand the environment around them. Despite the1989 ban on the international ivory trade, as of 2015,35,000 and 50,000 African elephantswerereportedbeing poached yearly. As of March2021, itwas estimatedthatonly 415,000 elephantsremainon the entire continent of Africa.Thespecies is endangered, with the most prominent cause being poaching for ivory.Thisissuecannot be takenlightly.

On the black market, a pound of ivory costs about$1,500 per pound, with tusks from male elephants weighing about 250 pounds each. Therefore, the monetary value of ivory drives many of these poachers, regardless of the risks and detrimental effects.

Elephant poaching has immense effects on the ecosystem and theenvironment as a whole.Elephant manure, for example, helps fertilize soilthat helpsplant crops,and elephants play large parts inseed dispersalas well. When elephantsare poachedto the degree that they have been throughout history, it compromises their own population as well as the surrounding ecosystem, including the lives of many humans.

The importance of elephants in the environment and the greater ecosystemmust be understoodand widely known. Poaching has gone too far, endangering the elephants themselves as well as the environment around them, which includes other animals and humans.

In order to ensure that elephantsare not poachedfor ivory, other measures must be taken. For example,synthetic ivorycould have immense benefits to elephant populations and theenvironment as a whole. However, this would require immense research and funding to ensurethe synthetic ivory is similar enough to real ivory and so that its prices are affordable enoughtodiscouragepeoplefrom poaching.

There should be more research, time, effort and funding putinto thisissuetoprotect elephants andto ceasepoachingaltogether. The consequences ofnot doing so are far too great for elephants and for thegreater environment.

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Protect the elephants - UConn Daily Campus

In 1989, when elephant ethologist Joyce Poole began carrying out surveys of three East African elephant populations to understand the impact that heavy poaching was having on them, she quickly noted several stark trends. There was a huge skew in the sex ratio, with very few adult males. Many families lacked older femalesand many of those females had no tusks.

Pooles observationswhich were used a few months later to support a ban on international ivory tradewere alarming, but they mostly made sense. Poachers, she knew, prioritized elephants with the largest tusks. Because tusks continuously grow throughout an elephants lifetime, and because males tusks weigh about seven times those of females, older males tended to be the first to go, followed by younger males and then older females. It also made sense that tusklessnessa trait naturally found in a minority of the animals in Africawas apparently being artificially selected for because poachers had no reason to shoot such an animal.

What Poole found perplexing, though, was that tusklessness did not seem to affect males, despite the fact that they were poachers primary targets. Its something I had puzzled over for so long, says Poole, co-founder and scientific director of ElephantVoices, a nonprofit science and conservation organization. The more killing there was, the more tuskless females you got. But why werent there any tuskless males?

More than 30 years later, she finally may have her answer. Tusklessness, according to a new paper in Science, can be attributed in large part to a dominant mutation on the X chromosomea genetic change that also explains the sex skew Poole saw. In females, mutations in a key gene on one of their X chromosomes seems to be responsible for tusklessness. But in males with no other X chromosome to fall back on, that mutation appears to cause death in the womb.

This is a beautiful study that is certain to become a textbook example of how intense human exploitation of wildlife can rapidly change the natural world, says Jeffrey Good, a mammalian evolutionary geneticist at the University of Montana, who was not involved in the research. Such a deep genetic understanding of complex evolutionary changes in large free-ranging animals would have been unobtainable just a few years ago.

Shane Campbell-Staton of Princeton University, co-lead author of the new paper, has spent his career studying the ways that humans force such evolutionary changes across the tree of life. Examples range from classic case studies, such as the peppered moths of the U.K. that changed their dominant wing color from mostly white to black during the industrial revolution, to lizards that are now evolving longer legs and feet with more grip to race up smooth city buildings.

Typically, though, such studies focus on small creatures that have large population sizes and fast generational turnovers because changes they undergo are easier to observe in real time. This has left a notable gap in the literature that the new paper helps to fill. This study is among the first to show that selective killing of large vertebrates can have a direct impact on evolutionary change, says Fanie Pelletier, an ecologist at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec, who co-authored a perspective piece in Science about the research.

Elephants were not an obvious choice for Campbell-Staton, who has mostly focused on lizards until now. But he found himself sucked into the mystery of tuskless elephants when he watched a YouTube video about the phenomenon. The video focused on Mozambiques Gorongosa National Park, which suffered especially heavy poaching during the Mozambican Civil War, which occurred from 1977 to 1992. Gorongosas elephant population declined by about 90 percent, from more than 2,500 individuals in 1972 to fewer than 250 in 2000. Like other places that had undergone intense poaching, Gorongosas female elephants exhibited an abnormally high proportion of tusklessness.

Campbell-Staton was just as perplexed by this as Poole had been, and he soon struck up a collaboration with her and other elephant ecologists. The researchers first needed to determine whether it was actually the selection from poaching that led to a disproportionate number of tuskless individuals or if it was just some fluke of chance that emerged as the population crashed.

Poole, who is a co-author on the new paper, combed through old natural history films and amateur videos to estimate the prevalence of tusklessness prior to the war. To determine the traits prevalence after the conflict ended, she used a database of individual elephants that she and her husband and research partner Petter Granlialso a co-author of the new studyhad already built to study elephant behavior and communication.

The frequency of tusklessness, the team found, increased from about 18.5 percent before the war to 50.9 percent after. In population simulations, the researchers confirmed that it is extremely unlikely that tusklessness would have changed so drastically by chance alone. Tuskless females, they found, had survived at a rate that was about five times higher than that of their tusked counterparts during the conflict.

Using Pooles database, they further confirmed that, with a single exception, female elephants with two tusks had never been observed to have a tuskless baby. Tuskless mothers, on the other hand, had about an equal proportion of daughters with or without tusks (or, in some cases, with a single tusk). This pattern suggested to the researchers a sex-linked genetic origin for what they were seeing.

The sex ratio of the offspring of tuskless mothers also indicated that the genetics responsible may be lethal for males. Instead of having sons and daughters at an equal proportion, tuskless mothers gave birth to daughters roughly two thirds of the time.

After making these observations, Campbell-Staton decided it was time to use a whole-genome analysis to pinpoint the potential genetic factors. Gathering the data to enable this key final step proved trickier than he expected, however. We were going to drive around at Gorongosa, spot an elephant, see if the elephant had tusks or not, wait for the elephant to poop and then collect its DNA, he says. It seemed simple enoughexcept we drove all day, every day for a week and didnt see a single elephant.

Fortunately, another research team was carrying out a collaring project to track matriarch elephants. Campbell-Staton and his co-first author, Brian Arnold of Princeton, were able to join forces with the other researchers to collect blood samples from 18 femalessome with tusks and some withoutthat would meet the genomic requirements for the project.

Using those samples, they identified candidate regions in the genome that, when mutated, seemed to explain tusklessness and its apparent male lethality. One of the genes, AMELX, is known from decades of basic research in mice and humans to play a role in mammalian tooth development. Additionally, disruptions to the same region of the X chromosome in humans is associated with a syndrome that usually causes male fetuses to abort in the second trimester. Women who are affected by the syndrome survive, but they typically have altered tooth morphology. In particular, they often are missing their upper lateral incisorsthe anatomical equivalent of tusks in elephants.

The study shows that tuskless male elephant offspring are not viable, meaning that population decline is accentuated, Pelletier says. Not only do animals die due to poaching, but there is also additional decline because half of the male offspring from the surviving tuskless mothers do not survive.

Good agrees that the findings are alarming. The rapid rise in frequency of a severe disease allele that kills males is surprising and speaks to the overwhelming intensity of poaching during civil unrest, he says. These changes came with enormous cost to the overall genetic health of these declining populations.

Ultimately, Campbell-Staton says, the study speaks to the ubiquity of the human footprint as an evolutionary force.

There is some good news, however. As poaching in Gorongosa has been stamped out through sustained conservation efforts, the number of baby elephants born tuskless has begun to decrease. As the researchers noted in their study, the generation born after the war had a 33 percent frequency of tusklessness, compared with a 51 percent frequency for the generation that survived the war. Nature, in this case at least, seems to be correcting itself. Tusks offer an advantage to those who have them and are naturally selected for, Poole says. If we keep the pressure off these elephants, the rate of tusklessness declines with each generation.

Link:
Disturbing Answers to the Mystery of Tuskless Female Elephants - Scientific American

The National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences has selected a study published by Wayne State University School of Medicine researchers as an Extramural Paper of the Month.

The paper, Paternal preconception phthalate exposure alters sperm methylome and embryonic programming, published in in the October issue of the journal Environment International by J. Richard Pilsner, Ph.D., professor and Robert J. Sokol, M.D., Endowed Chair of Molecular Obstetrics and Gynecology, and director of Molecular Genetics and Infertility for the C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development; and Stephen Krawetz, Ph.D., the Charlotte B. Failing Professor of Fetal Therapy and Diagnosis, and associate director of the Mott Center, was selected by the NIEHS as a paper of the month for September.

The Extramural Papers of the Month are selected based on their important findings and potential for public health impact.

The researchers reported that male mice exposed to phthalates before conception had DNA methylation changes in sperm, which can be transferred to the next generation as altered gene expression in embryos. DNA methylation occurs when a chemical compound, called a methyl group, attaches to DNA, affecting whether a gene is turned on or off.

They exposed male mice to either a low or high level of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate for two sperm production cycles, or 67 days. Following exposure, they mated the mice with unexposed females. They then assessed genome-wide methylation in sperm, embryos and extra-embryonic tissues, which support the developing embryo.

Compared with unexposed controls, paternal preconception DEHP exposure altered methylation in 704 sperm gene regions, 1,716 embryo gene regions, and 3,181 extra-embryonic gene regions. Of these, 29 gene regions overlapped between sperm and embryonic tissues, suggesting methylation changes related to paternal DEHP exposure may be transmitted to the next generation. The researchers also identified changes in gene expression in embryos in both exposure groups compared with controls. Many of the altered genes were related to pathways important in development.

The researchers said their results indicate that preconception is a sensitive window in which phthalate exposure alters sperm methylation and embryo gene expression in ways that may influence offspring health and development.

Others involved in the research and subsequent publication include Oladele Oluwayiose, a doctoral student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst; Chelsea Marcho, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst; Haotian Wu, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University; Alexander Suvorov, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst; Emily Houle, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst; and Jesse Mager, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst.

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Report by Mott Center researchers named NIEHS Extramural Paper of the Month - The South End

Destructive human activity has left a permanent, devastating mark on the African elephant as a species. Over the last few decades, the beloved creatures have evolved to develop without their iconic tusks which are useful in helping them dig, lift trees, and protect themselves in an attack. Poachers had removed and illegally sold them on the black market for several years, and although the evolution happened relatively quickly, it seems as though many of these elephants are now tuskless.

The data that shows the current number of tuskless elephants is truly shocking to animal experts, because it took such a short amount of time for the evolution to take place.

"When we think about natural selection, we think about it happening over hundreds, or thousands, of years," conservationist Samuel Wasser told NPR. "The fact that this dramatic selection for tusklessness happened over 15 years is one of the most astonishing findings."

Over the last several years, increasing numbers of female African elephants in Gorongosa National Park have been born without their tusks, which experts believe is due to a 15-year ivory war in Mozambique, according to CNN. After the war ended in 1992, animal experts noticed the population of tuskless female African elephants had multiplied by three in 28 years.

"During the war, Gorongosa was essentially the geographic center of the conflict," University of Idaho professor, Ryan Long, told CNN.

"As a result there were large numbers of soldiers in the area and a lot of associated motivation... to kill elephants and sell the ivory to purchase arms and ammunition. The resulting level of poaching was very intense," he continued.

Experts attribute the evolution to the fact that female elephants who were born tuskless during the war were 5 times as likely to survive as tusked elephants.

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Many are also shocked that the evolution happened in such a short period of time. This was likely because of how often elephants were having their tusks removed.

"The fact that it occurred so rapidly is rare indeed, and is a direct function of the strength of selection," Long mused. "In other words, it happened so quickly because tuskless females had a MUCH higher probability of surviving the war, and thus a MUCH greater potential for passing their genes on to the next generation."

Source: African Elephant Poaching

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Only female elephants can be born tuskless, and although it had previously occurred naturally on occasion, it's become increasingly more common. And while being tuskless helped elephants during the war, as it increased their chances of survival, there are downsides. According to Live Science, not having tusks makes natural survival trickier they can't lift branches and trees as easily, scratch bark, or protect themselves. It's also harder to dig holes for water without them.

Additionally, it doesn't help with repopulating the species. Due to genetics, tuskless female African elephants who pass on X chromosomes with the mutant gene to their male embryos inhibit their chances of survival. About 50 percent of male embryos (or those who inherit said gene) won't survive.

Since the war, numbers of the African elephant have increased tremendously, but this is a major setback hopefully they will readapt to their post-war state, and get their tusks back.

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African Elephants Are Evolving Without Tusks, Due to Years of Poaching - Green Matters

Breast cancer can affect men too although it's more common in women. Approximately 1-2% of all breast cancer patients are men yet when it comes to diagnosis, they may face a unique set of challenges. Men tend to ignore the symptoms of breast cancer due to fear of stigma and may be diagnosed at an advanced stage and have poorer outcome as compared to women.

"Men suffering from Klinefelter syndrome (where they are born with an extra X chromosome) are at risk of getting breast cancer as they have higher estrogen levels and get gynecomastia that outgrow breast tissue in males," says Dr Aditi Agrawal, Consultant Breast and Laparoscopic Surgeon, Wockhardt Hospital, Mira Road.

Breast cancer starts in the milk ducts and the lobules, which are the structures containing the milk-producing glands. Male and female breast tissue have few ducts under the nipple and areola until puberty. During puberty, females see increased levels of various hormones like estrogen causing ducts to grow and lobules to form. While in males, owing to low levels of these hormones, ducts, lobules are few and tend to consist of fat tissue, according to Dr Agarwal.

ALSO READ: Breast Cancer Awareness Month: 5-step self-examination guide you must follow

In women on the other hand, early start of periods before the age of 12 and late menopause, after age of 55, giving birth for the first time at an older age, or never giving birth increases the risk of breast cancer.

Dr Agarways says age and genetics are common factors seen in both males and females when it comes to breast cancer. She says other common factors which can be taken care at an individual level are smoking, previous radiation therapy, alcohol and lack of exercise.

Symptoms for both men and women

Females and males having breast cancer will spot symptoms such as bumps and lumps, swelling in one or both the breasts, feeling tenderness, soreness, discharge from the breast, itchy skin around nipples, inverted nipple, thickened skin on the breast and pain. "In males as the breast is small in size is recognised at a small size but spreads fast to neighbouring structure/organs," says Dr Agarwal.

A mammogram and a biopsy remain the diagnosis tools for both men and women to determine if the lump is cancerous.

"After the type, location, and stage of the cancer are confirmed, your doctor will decide on a proper line of treatment for you. You will be asked to opt for a mastectomy, lumpectomy that falls under surgery. Apart from that, other options such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and hormone therapy can also be advised to you," says Dr Agarwal when asked about the treatment for breast cancer.

It is also advised to make lifestyle modifications like exercising every day, avoiding weight gain and eat balanced diet of leafy green vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes and whole grains. One should also do self-breast examination from the age of 18.

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Breast Cancer Awareness Month: What men need to know about breast cancer - Hindustan Times

Wednesday, 27 October 2021, 12:13 pmPress Release: Ramari Stewart

Whales are often named after Western scientistsand after men, but that tradition is about to change, as anewly discovered species of whale will carry an Indigenousname and the name of a woman.

Its scientificname will be Mesoplodon eueu, referring to itsIndigenous roots in South Africa, and its common nameRamaris beaked whale after Ramari Stewart, a MtaurangaMori whale expert.

Until now, this beaked whale wasthought to be the Trues beaked whale but almost a decadeago, a female washed ashore on the west coast of TeWaipounamu (South Island), Aotearoa New Zealand. She was 5meters long and pregnant. The local iwi (tribe) of NgtiMhaki named her Nihongore and her bones were sent to TePapa Tongarewa Museum in Wellington-New Zealand forpreservation.

When Nihongore turned up I knew thatshe was something different, I knew it was special because Ihadnt seen it before, Ramari Stewart says.

Thediscovery was made by Ramari Stewart, a renowned TohungaTohor (whale expert) who was raised by her elders in thetraditional Mori knowledge of the moana (sea). Togetherwith biologist Dr Emma Carroll from the University ofAuckland Waipapa Taumata Rau, they would bring the worldof Mtauranga Mori and science together to explore thenature and origins of this whale.

Ramari broughtextensive knowledge to the project, including leading workpreparing Nihongore for Te Papa. Its brilliant thatRamari accepted the honor of having this species named afterher, in recognition of Ramaris Mtauranga and Westernknowledge on whales and dolphins. As Ramari also meansa rare event in Te Reo (Mori language) it is also afitting tribute to the elusive nature of most beakedwhales, says Dr Emma Carroll.

Initially the NewZealand research team thought this was the first Truesbeaked whale found in the country, but that changed duringtheir work with a global network of researchers. They soonrealised that the genetics and skull shape of the Truesbeaked whales in the Northern Hemisphere were very differentto the Trues beaked whales in the SouthernHemisphere. They have been separated for around half amillion years, probably because they dont like the warmwater near the equator. Its clear that they are differentspecies.

Its wonderful that Western science isstarting to recognise that Mtauranga Mori is as equallygreat as Western science and the two can work together.Rather than just bridging a relationship and takingknowledge from Indigenous practitioners, it is better thatwe both sit at the table, Ramari Stewart.

Thisdiscovery brings the total number of beaked whale species to24. These are the most visible inhabitants of the deep oceandue to their large size and need to surface to breath. Thegroup includes the deepest diving mammals, which can dive100s or 1000s of metres to find their prey. Ramarisbeaked whale probably spends a lot of time offshore in deepwaters given so few specimens have beendiscovered.

The scientific name Mesoplodon eueuconnects the male specimens used in this research to theirorigins in South Africa, a territory inhabited by theKhoisan peoples. Guided by the Khoisan Council, the nameeueu was given, meaning big fish in the Khwedamlanguage. This is representative of languages from theregion, as the languages of people that inhabited the coast,where the whales stranded, are now mostly extinct.

Incollaboration with an international team of over 30scientists, research led by Dr Emma Carroll will bepublished in the international journal Proceedings of theRoyal SocietyB.

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New Whale Species To Be Named After Mtauranga Mori Whale Expert | Scoop News - Scoop.co.nz

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease that prevents your body from being able to properly use insulin. Its the result of increased insulin resistance and your pancreas not making enough insulin to manage your blood sugar (glucose) levels.

About 1 in 10 Americans has diabetes, and type 2 diabetes represents 90 to 95 percent of those cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

There are many symptoms of type 2 diabetes. Its important to know what they are because diabetes because the condition can be prevented or delayed if caught early.

Read on for the most common symptoms of type 2 diabetes.

The symptoms of type 2 diabetes vary from person to person. They can develop slowly over many years and might be so mild that you dont notice them.

Polyuria, or excessive urination, is one of the 3 Ps of diabetes.

Your kidneys eventually cant keep up with the extra glucose in your bloodstream. Some of the glucose ends up in your urine and draws in more water. This leads to more frequent urination.

Adults naturally produce 1 to 2 liters of urine per day (a liter is about a quart). Polyuria is defined as more than 3 liters per day.

Excessive thirst, or polydipsia, is often a result of frequent urination. Your body urges you to replace lost fluids by making you feel thirsty.

Of course, everyone gets thirsty sometimes. Extreme thirst is uncharacteristic and persistent, no matter how often you replenish.

Excessive hunger is called polyphagia.

If you have type 2 diabetes, your body has a hard time turning glucose into energy. This makes you feel hungry. Eating introduces even more sugar that cant be processed, and it doesnt alleviate the hunger.

Diabetes increases your risk of several eye conditions, including:

The increased blood sugar from diabetes can damage blood vessels, including those in the eye, leading to blurry vision.

Fatigue can be a mental or physical tiredness that doesnt improve with rest. There are many causes of fatigue.

Its a difficult symptom to research, but a 2016 study concluded that people with type 2 diabetes may experience fatigue as a result of fluctuations between high and low glucose levels.

If you have type 2 diabetes, regular cuts and scratches can take longer to heal. Wounds on your feet are common and easy to overlook. Slow healing foot ulcers occur due to poor blood supply as well as damage to the nerves responsible for blood flow to the feet.

A 2020 study showed that diabetic foot ulcers dont mobilize the immune cells needed for proper inflammation and healing.

High glucose can damage the blood vessels that supply nutrients to your nerves. When your nerves dont receive enough oxygen and nutrients, they cannot function properly.

This is called diabetic neuropathy and is most common in your extremities.

Insulin resistance causes glucose to build up in the bloodstream instead of being turned into energy. This can cause your body to consume other energy sources, like muscle or fat tissue.

Your weight might naturally fluctuate a little. An unexplained loss of at least 5 percent of your body weight is generally agreed as a need to talk with your healthcare professional.

In addition to nerve damage and a weakened immune system, poor blood circulation also increases the chance of developing an infection in people with diabetes. Having more sugar in your blood and tissues allows infections to spread faster.

People with diabetes commonly develop infections of the:

Acanthosis nigricans is a skin condition that can be a symptom of diabetes. It appears as dark bands of skin that may have a velvety texture.

This is most common in body folds such as your armpits, neck, and groin, but can also occur elsewhere.

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Type 2 Diabetes Symptoms in Women and Men: What to Know - Healthline