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Institute of Medicine,Board on Health Sciences Policy,Committee on Understanding the Biology of Sex and Gender Differences
Author : Institute of Medicine,Board on Health Sciences Policy,Committee on Understanding the Biology of Sex and Gender Differences Publisher : National Academies Press Page : 288 pages File Size : 42,6 Mb Release : 2001-07-02 Category : Medical ISBN : 0309132975
Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health by Institute of Medicine,Board on Health Sciences Policy,Committee on Understanding the Biology of Sex and Gender Differences Pdf
It's obvious why only men develop prostate cancer and why only women get ovarian cancer. But it is not obvious why women are more likely to recover language ability after a stroke than men or why women are more apt to develop autoimmune diseases such as lupus. Sex differences in health throughout the lifespan have been documented. Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health begins to snap the pieces of the puzzle into place so that this knowledge can be used to improve health for both sexes. From behavior and cognition to metabolism and response to chemicals and infectious organisms, this book explores the health impact of sex (being male or female, according to reproductive organs and chromosomes) and gender (one's sense of self as male or female in society). Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health discusses basic biochemical differences in the cells of males and females and health variability between the sexes from conception throughout life. The book identifies key research needs and opportunities and addresses barriers to research. Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health will be important to health policy makers, basic, applied, and clinical researchers, educators, providers, and journalists-while being very accessible to interested lay readers.
Author : Sarah S. Richardson Publisher : University of Chicago Press Page : 320 pages File Size : 51,8 Mb Release : 2013-12-13 Category : Science ISBN : 9780226084718
Human genomes are 99.9 percent identical—with one prominent exception. Instead of a matching pair of X chromosomes, men carry a single X, coupled with a tiny chromosome called the Y. Tracking the emergence of a new and distinctive way of thinking about sex represented by the unalterable, simple, and visually compelling binary of the X and Y chromosomes, Sex Itself examines the interaction between cultural gender norms and genetic theories of sex from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present, postgenomic age. Using methods from history, philosophy, and gender studies of science, Sarah S. Richardson uncovers how gender has helped to shape the research practices, questions asked, theories and models, and descriptive language used in sex chromosome research. From the earliest theories of chromosomal sex determination, to the mid-century hypothesis of the aggressive XYY supermale, to the debate about Y chromosome degeneration, to the recent claim that male and female genomes are more different than those of humans and chimpanzees, Richardson shows how cultural gender conceptions influence the genetic science of sex. Richardson shows how sexual science of the past continues to resonate, in ways both subtle and explicit, in contemporary research on the genetics of sex and gender. With the completion of the Human Genome Project, genes and chromosomes are moving to the center of the biology of sex. Sex Itself offers a compelling argument for the importance of ongoing critical dialogue on how cultural conceptions of gender operate within the science of sex.
A Guardian Book of the Week Longlisted for the PEN / E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award An award-winning physician and scientist makes the game-changing case that genetic females are stronger than males at every stage of life Here are some facts: Women live longer than men. They have stronger immune systems. They're better at fighting cancer and surviving famine, and even see the world in a wider variety of colors. They are simply stronger than men at every stage of life. Why is this? And why are we taught the opposite? To find out, Dr. Sharon Moalem drew on his own medical experiences - treating premature babies in the neonatal intensive care unit; recruiting the elderly for neurogenetic studies; tending to HIV-positive orphans in Thailand - and tried to understand why in every instance men were consistently less likely to thrive. The answer, he discovered, lies in our genetics: two X chromosomes offer a powerful survival advantage. With clear, captivating prose that weaves together eye-opening research, case studies, diverse examples ranging from the behavior of honeybees to American pioneers, as well as experiences from his personal life and his own patients, Moalem explains why genetic females triumph over males when it comes to resiliency, intellect, stamina, immunity and much more. He also calls for a reconsideration of our male-centric, one-size-fits-all view of medical studies and even how we prescribe medications - a view that still sees women through the lens of men. Revolutionary and yet utterly convincing, The Better Half will make you see humanity and the survival of our species anew.
Gene Worship by Gisela Kaplan,Lesley J. Rogers Pdf
"A wonderful antidote to the gene hysteria that is now so dominant! . . . What is most exciting about this book is the authors' ability to move seamlessly from research on how the brain works, to sociology, history, and philosophy. And that, I believe, is exactly how we need to understand gender--neither nature nor nurture, but a complex interplay." - Dr. Lynda Birke, author of Feminism and the Biological Body This work moves beyond the old nature/nurture debate concerning what makes us who we are to present a new understanding of gender and sexuality. Since the mapping of the human genome there has been widespread coverage of scientific discoveries in the offing, and of the host of human problems to be solved through gene therapy, from physical defects to mental disease and even so-called 'undesirable' behavior. As biologists with expertise in neuroscience, ethology, psychology, sociology and human ethos, Kaplan and Rogers are uniquely situated to evaluate the claims of their colleagues concerning the knowledge to be gained through the study of our biological make-up. They caution against the seductive belief that, once we understand our biological constitution, it is but a short step to complete mastery of human nature. Furthermore, they show that this belief is yet another example of how science can be subverted to defend the claims of the ruling ideology.
Prenatal screening for genetic disorders is becoming an increasingly widespread phenomenon across the globe. While studies have highlighted the importance of women’s experiences of such screening, little is known about men’s roles and direct involvement in this process. With a focus on the experiences of both women and men, this text offers an innovative and passionate account of the gendered nature of prenatal screening. Drawing on interview data with pregnant women and their male partners in a UK city, Reed provides a compelling analysis of maternal and paternal roles in prenatal screening. Through this analysis, the book raises important issues around genetics, gender and screening practice. With a focus on the gendered production of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ genes, the book explores differences between visual technologies and blood screening. It also explores the gendered nature of genetic responsibility and the impact this has on parenting roles. Extending its arguments into other key debates in prenatal genetics – including a focus on the impact of screening on other types of stratification, including ethnicity and class – Reed provides an original and comprehensive analysis of some of the most pressing concerns in the field to date. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of the sociology of health and illness, science and technology studies, gender studies, feminist bioethics and medical anthropology, as well as professionals in the fields of midwifery and genetic counselling.
Gender and Genes by Klasien Horstman,Marli Huijer Pdf
This Yearbook of Women's History (Jaarboek voor Vrouwengeschiedenis) is dedicated to Gender and Genes. Intruding upon our everyday lives, the world of DNA, genes and genomics has become a challenging field of research, both clinical and biomedical as well as socio-cultural. It is also a challenging topic for a Yearbook which traditionally focuses on women and gender from a historical point of view. Gender issues are part and parcel of genes and genomics in scientific research and socio-cultural discourses and representations. Current literature on genes and genomics does not abound in analyses of biomedical and socio-cultural realms where gender aspects are played out and exchanged. This Yearbookmay thus contribute to a field of analysis which contextualizes history from the viewpoint of current biotechnological developments. This volume contains articles on medical cases (reproductive testing and the case of the sex chromosomes, and framing cancer risk in women and men), cultural representations, a portrait of female scientist Rosalin Franklin and interviews with feminist science philosophers Katarina Karkazis and Donna Dickenson.
Few of us know much about the biology of sex determination, but what could be more interesting than to discover how we are shaped into males and females? In this book, Elof Carlson tells the incredible story of the difficult quest to understand how the body forms girls and boys. Carlson's history takes us from antiquity to the present day to detail how each component of human reproduction and sexuality was identified and studied, how this knowledge enlarged our understanding of sex determination, and how it was employed to interpret such little understood aspects of human biology as the origin of intersex births.
A tiny scrap of genetic information determines our sex; it also consigns many of us to a life of disease, directs or disrupts the everyday working of our bodies, and forces women to live as genetic chimeras. The culprit--so necessary and yet the source of such upheaval--is the X chromosome, and this is its story. An enlightening and entertaining tour of the cultural and natural history of this intriguing member of the genome, The X in Sex traces the journey toward our current understanding of the nature of X. From its chance discovery in the nineteenth century to the promise and implications of ongoing research, David Bainbridge shows how the X evolved and where it and its counterpart Y are going, how it helps assign developing human babies their sex--and maybe even their sexuality--and how it affects our lives in infinitely complex and subtle ways. X offers cures for disease, challenges our cultural, ethical, and scientific assumptions about maleness and femaleness, and has even reshaped our views of human evolution and human nature. Table of Contents: Prologue 1. Making a Difference Interlude: What Is It, Exactly? 2. The Duke of Kent's Testicles Interlude: How Sexy Is X? 3. The Double Life of Women Epilogue: The Chosen One Further Reading Glossary Index Reviews of this book: The author of Making Babies takes a lively, witty tour of the X chromosome, creator of "a delicious symmetry between men and women"...Entertaining and informative...A fine demonstration of science made accessible. --Kirkus Reviews Reviews of this book: A well-written, well-researched, easy-to-read study that explains what has been learned about the X and Y chromosomes using DNA sequencing and other molecular biology techniques. British biologist Bainbridge...has pulled together historical and current scientific research about how the X and Y chromosomes affect us and what the genes on these chromosomes actually do, like causing sex-linked diseases and color blindness...An excellent example of good science writing...Recommended. --Margaret Henderson, Library Journal Reviews of this book: Bainbridge is an essentialist, interested in understanding what aspects of gender are biologically driven, and why...He has a central question he wants to answer. The question is not so much why men and women are different (a worn topic that's the subject of too many Mars-and-Venus bestsellers) but, far more specific and far more interesting: Why are men and women more different than they need to be? --Liza Mundy, Washington Post Reviews of this book: Bainbridge summarizes our knowledge of the genetic information that determines one's sex by recounting the ancients' speculations about the genesis of gender, following with modern biologists' discovery of the X and Y chromosomes about a century ago, and of the sex-determining gene Sry in the 1990s. In a discussion rich with history, evolution, and philosophy, Bainbridge points out the dramatic effect that gender selection has on people's lives...A fascinating, often humorous analysis of the science of sexuality. --Gilbert Taylor, Booklist Reviews of this book: In The X in Sex, David Bainbridge explains the far-reaching effects of X. Bainbridge...moves with ease between straightforward accounts of biology and historical stories about its effect, like the chapter describing the progression of hemophilia through the royal houses of Europe. Bainbridge discusses cultural history as well as natural history, and his wit enlivens every page. --Christine Kenneally, New York Times Book Review Reviews of this book: There are many literary stars (such as Stephen Jay Gould, Richard Dawkins and Matt Ridley) in the firmament of writers on evolution, and to a man they write with dash and persuasive logic. David Bainbridge is one such and in his latest book he takes the reader through the glories of the X chromosome at a cracking pace. --Miriam Stoppard, Times Higher Education Supplement (UK) Reviews of this book: The truth is that the behaviours of [chromosomes] X and Y are inextricably linked. Bainbridge explores this link in a compelling tale that takes in how the sex chromosomes became sex chromosomes, and the very different consequences of this for women and men. Along the way we encounter the Duke of Kent's testicles, calico cats and non-identical identical twin girls. His story weaves science, history and the history of science (with a little religion for good measure) in a straightforward, anecdotal fashion that will appeal to scientists and non-scientists alike. --Mark T. Ross, New Scientist (UK) Reviews of this book: In his structure/function analysis of the X chromosome, Bainbridge provides a tongue-in-cheek, yet informative, description of one of the two human sex chromosomes. --R. Adler, Choice Reviews of this book: If you have ever been intrigued by some of the puzzles of genetics--why boys tend to get haemophilia or colour blindness while girls are more likely to have an identical twin or to develop rheumatoid arthritis later in life--then The X in Sex is for you. --Chris Tyler-Smith, Times Literary Supplement David Bainbridge takes us on a fascinating tour of X chromosomes and explains what the possession of these intricately folded, infinitessimally narrow, two-inch long strings of genetic codes weighing almost nothing, means for their bearers--that is for each one of us, male and female. History and personal anecdotes are woven together with up-to-date summaries of the science, punctuated with Bainbridge's zany--and very British--humor, so that this information-packed book is pure pleasure to read. --Sarah Blaffer Hrdy author of Mother Nature: A History of Mothers, Infants, and Natural Selection The X in Sex is absolutely fascinating, so intriguing, in fact, that I found myself unwilling to put it down. David Bainbridge surveys an astonishing amount of new information from recent genomic studies of the X chromosome, clearly explaining the findings in a way the average person can easily follow. The science is presented via amusing and highly appropriate metaphors and clever turns of phrase, all of which serve to brighten the prose and present the reader with catchy ways to think about complex ideas. This is an informative, authoritative, and thoroughly enjoyable read: one of the best books I have read in recent years. --Jane Lancaster, University of New Mexico This is wonderful stuff--beautifully written, clear, jargon-free, with anecdotes sure to hold the attention. --other hupauthorTim Birkhead, author of Promiscuity: An Evolutionary History of Sperm Competition
Reproductive Genetics, Gender and the Body by Elizabeth Ettorre Pdf
This book is all about reproductive genetics, a sociological concept developed to define the use of DNA-based technologies in the medical management and supervision of reproduction and pregnant women. In a searching analysis, Elizabeth Ettorre uncovers the hidden social processes involved in the development of these technologies. Focussing on prenatal screening, she explores how the key concepts of gender and the body are intertwined with the process of building genetic knowledge and some of the unintended consequences for women. These include the injection of biology into social relationships and the development of a gendered discourse of shame and stigmatisation in which the perfect body becomes idealised and new conceptions of disability are shaped. It becomes clear that the modernist tradition of scientific disinterestedness is being replaced by a new ethic: the making of moral judgements by scientists. Reproductive Genetics, Gender and the Body draws on interviews with European medical, legal and nursing professionals and raises important issues around the gendered, female body, the site of genetic capital. It challenges professional and scholar alike to grapple with and think through their responsibilities in this complex field where the competing issues have yet to be resolved.
Sex Differences in Brain and Behavior by Cynthia L. Jordan,S. Marc Breedlove Pdf
"The extent to which there are differences between the sexes is an area of interest to physiologists, neuroscientists, and clinicians, as well as social scientists and the general public. This book examines recent research on the biological basis of sex differences, including differences in the brain, behavior, the immune system, and disease states"--
Let's face it, say Barash and Lipton: Males and females, boys and girls, men and women are different. To be sure, these differences are often heightened by distinctions in learning, cultural tradition, and social expectation, but underpinning them all is a fundamental difference that derives from biology. Throughout the natural world, males are those creatures that make sperm; females make eggs. The oft-noticed "gender gap" derives, in turn, from this "gamete gap." In Gender Gap, Barash and Lipton (husband and wife, professor and physician, biologist and psychiatrist) explain the evolutionary aspects of male-female differences. After describing the theory underlying the evolutionary explanation of male-female differences-in accessible, lay-person's language-they show how it applies to specific examples of animal behavior. Then, they demonstrate comparable male-female differences in the behavior of human beings cross-culturally, as well as within the United States. Barash and Lipton apply this approach to male-female differences in sexual inclinations, propensities for violence, parenting styles, and childhood experiences. They invoke much work within the traditional social sciences, such as psychology, anthropology, and sociology, which have typically ignored biological factors in the past. Part of the highly successful revolution in scientific thought has been the recognition that evolutionary insights can illuminate behavior, no less than anatomy and physiology. This new discipline, sometimes called "sociobiology" or "evolutionary psychology," promises to help us make sense of ourselves and of our most significant others, shedding new light on what it means to be male or female. Now available in paperback with a new introduction by the authors, this accessible volume integrates work from a variety of fields, applying a new paradigm to research on gender differences. David P. Barash holds a Ph.D. in zoology and is professor of psychology and zoology at the University of Washington, where he has taught since 1973. He has been especially active in the growth and development of sociobiology as a scientific discipline and has received numerous grants and awards. Barash is the author of more than 170 technical articles, and 20 books. Judith Eve Lipton received her M.D. degree from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and completed her residency in psychiatry at the University of Washington. She is the founder and president emerita of the Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility, and Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, specializing in women's health.
By carefully examining the biological, genetic, evolutionary, and psychological evidence, a noted biologist finds a shocking lack of substance behind ideas about biologically based sex differences. Features a new chapter and afterward on recent biological breakthroughs.
The Genetical Theory of Natural Selection by R.A. Fisher (1930) dictated that sexual dimorphisms may depend upon a single medelian factor. This could be true for some species but his suggestion could not take off the ground as gender in Drosophila is determined by the number of X chromosomes. Technical advances in molecular biology have revived the initial thinking of Fisher and dictate that TDF or SRY genes in humans or Tdy in mice are sex determining genes. The fortuitous findings of XX males and XY female, which are generally termed sex reversal phenomenon, are quite bewildering traits that have caused much amazement concerning the pairing mechanism(s) of the pseudoautosomal regions of human X and Y chromosomes at meiosis. These findings have opened new avenues to explore further the genetic basis of sex determination at the single gene level. The aim of the fourth volume, titled Genetics of Sex Determination is to reflect on the latest advances and future investigative directions, encompassing 10 chapters. Commissioned several distinguished scientists, all pre-eminent authorities in each field to shed their thoughts concisely but epitomise their chapters with an extended bibliography. Obviously, during the past 60 years, the metoric advances are voluminous and to cover every account of genes, chromosomes, and sex in a single volume format would be a herculean task. Therefore, a few specific topics are chosen, which may be of great interest to scientists and clinicians. The seasoned scientists who love to inquire about the role of genes in sex determination should find the original work of these notable contributors very enlightening. This volume is intended for advanced students who want to keep abreast as well as for those who indulge in the search for genes of sex determination.
Genes, Women, Equality by Mary Briody Mahowald Pdf
Genetics is not gender neutral in its impact. Mahowald cites a wide range of biological and psychosocial examples that reveal its different impact on men and women, especially with regard to reproduction and caregiving. She examines the extent to which these differences are associated with gender injustice, arguing for positions that reduce inequality between the sexes. The critical perspective Mahowald brings to this analysis is an egalitarian interpretation of feminism that demands attention to inequalities arising from racism, ethnocentricism, albleism, and classism as well as sexism. Eschewing a notion of equality as sameness, Mahowald defines equality as attribution of the same value to different objects. Gender justice, she claims, imputes the same value to men and women, despite their differences. It can only be maximized by practical efforts to equalize the burdens and benefits associated with genetics. The topics considered include participation in research, allocation of genetic services, cultural difference, sex selection, misattributed paternity, prenatal and preimplantation diagnosis, carrier testing, genetic interventions, genetic disabilities, preferences for genetic ties to offspring, genetic susceptibility to late onset disorders, behavioral genetics, genetic discrimination in employment and insurance, and human cloning. Cases, both real and concocted, are used to illustrate the questions addressed.