LINKS - May 4th, 2022
Welcome to LINKS — my attempt to provide Rhapsody readers with five interesting stories that tell us something about what it means to be human. LINKS is published every Wednesday. Have a link you want to share? Drop it in the comments.
Vaccine may protect against the virus behind multiple sclerosis
By Alice Klein, The New Scientist
“A vaccine that wards off the common Epstein-Barr virus to potentially prevent glandular fever, multiple sclerosis (MS) and even some cancers has shown promise in mice, ferrets and monkeys. A human trial is expected to start in 2023.”
Why young brains are especially vulnerable to social media
By Zara Abrams, The American Psychological Association
“Between the ages of 10 and 12, changes in the brain make social rewards—compliments on a new hairstyle, laughter from a classmate—start to feel a lot more satisfying. Specifically, receptors for the “happy hormones” oxytocin and dopamine multiply in a part of the brain called the ventral striatum, making preteens extra sensitive to attention and admiration from others.”
What the Supreme Court Should Know about Abortion Care
By Cara C. Heuser, Scientific American
“The harm of abortion restrictions is why mainstream medical societies oppose them. Examples include the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Family Physicians. The American Medical Association has voiced opposition to the most restrictive laws. These are not radical fringe organizations, but groups made up of the physicians living in your community and caring for you every day.”
3D scans reveal largest cave art in North America
By Erin Blakemore, National Geographic
“Deep in the dark recesses of a limestone cave in Alabama soar life-sized figures that span earthly and spiritual realms. Traced into the mud of the cave ceiling by torchlight more than a thousand years ago, the sprawling scene is so enormous and faint it cannot be discerned by the naked eye—yet the ancient etchings are being celebrated as one of the largest rock-art creations in all of North America, and the largest to ever be discovered in a cave.”
Few Transgender Children Change Their Minds After 5 Years, Study Finds
By Azeen Ghorayshi, New York Times
“The vast majority of the group still identified with their new gender five years later, according to the study, and many had begun hormonal medications in adolescence to prompt biological changes to align with their gender identities. The study found that 2.5 percent of the group had reverted to identifying as the gender they were assigned at birth.”