Quickies

Quickies: Schizophrenia breakthrough, women weightlifters, and the post-blizzard Senate

  • Schizophrenia breakthrough as genetic study reveals link to brain changes – “People are more at risk of schizophrenia if they inherit genes that lead to excessive loss of healthy brain synapses during adolescence, a major US study suggests. Schizophrenia is known to have a genetic component but the research, published online in Nature on Wednesday, links the disease with specific gene variants and a biological process called synaptic pruning – the elimination of connections between neurons, or brain cells.”
  • Only women showed up to run the Senate after this weekend’s blizzard – “Apparently the presiding officer, all of the parliamentarians, the floor managers, and even all of the pages who showed up that day were female. She’s quick to point out that this wasn’t orchestrated in any way, it’s just what happened. She went on to comment, “Perhaps it speaks to the hardiness of women, that ‘put on your boots and put your hat on and get out and slog through the mess that’s out there.’””
  • Powerlifter – “Traditionally ostracized in the weight room, women who dare to lift weights discover strength they were previously denied.”
  • Nobody catcalls the woman in the wheelchair – From Rachelle.

Amanda

Amanda works in healthcare, is a loudmouthed feminist, and proud supporter of the Oxford comma.

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3 Comments

  1. I kind of wonder whether the schizophrenia mutation was adaptive at some point in human evolutionary history, like sickle cell, or if it’s just a bad gene that managed to get by like hemophilia.

  2. C’mon, this is really unfair. I mean men have dangly bits that can get… um, chilly. How are they supposed to be expected to expose themselves to frozen water? FROZEN WATER! It’s actually frozen before it comes down! So much for global warming… *uhu* *gaahh*

    Damn it, I did it again. ggggggg-f-g-g-g-ggg *pppt* That’s better.

    1. It was more about a statement, AFAICT. The Senate is currently in recess. (And of course, all the women still doesn’t constitute a quorum, IIRC, at least in this Congress.)

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