All the posts from our Those Nerdy Girls Facebook page dating back to May 1st, 2020, are currently archived here and can be searched for by category, key words, etc. Be sure to check back often as additional posts are being added each day.
A: The number of people estimated to be transgender in the U.S. has increased slightly over the past ~5-6 years, particularly among those aged 13-24 years. TL; DR: There has been an increase in the number of teens and young adults estimated to be transgender in the U.S. There may be several reasons for this, Read more…
Tl;dr: The Hawthorne effect is when people behave differently because they know they are being watched. The Hawthorne effect can impact our behaviors, including health habits, as well as scientific study results. We can use the Hawthorne effect to our benefit when we are seeking to make changes in our lives. Picture this: Your friend Read more…
A: Move over XBB, there is a new Omicron kid in town. TL;DR: A new subvariant called 🥚EG. 5 is growing as a fraction of new COVID infections. 🥚 So far there is no reason to believe this variant causes more (or less) severe disease 🥚 The new XBB boosters should still be a decent Read more…
Covid cases are on the rise in many countries. If you are over 50 or have another risk factor, MAKE A PLAN today for when you test positive for COVID-19. TL;DR: 💥 Paxlovid is an oral antiviral pill that stops the virus that causes COVID-19 from making copies of itself in your body. 💥 Don’t Read more…
(Reposted from July 6, 2021) It’s summer. You’re hiking, you’re camping, you’re living your best summer life. So let’s talk about Lyme disease. Lyme disease comes from a bacterial infection transmitted via the bite of certain ticks, most especially the black-legged tick aka the deer tick. It’s very common in North America and Europe’s summer Read more…
In honor of the global celebration of human lactation, also known as World Breastfeeding Week, let’s celebrate some scientific facts about lactation. Did you know that anyone with mammary tissue can produce human milk with the right support? What do I mean by support? In this case, not only do I mean physical, emotional, psychological, Read more…
(Reposted from June 9, 2022) Time for our annual chat about preventing tick bites Lone star ticks are about the size of a lentil and are dark reddish-brown in color. Adults have 8 legs. 🕷️ The females have a characteristic white spot in the middle of their backs. And some people develop a severe, lifelong Read more…
Those Nerdy Girls are cheerleaders for any and all advances in science that improve people’s lives. We could argue that no breakthrough has been more important in keeping us healthy than the development of vaccines! August is celebrated as National Immunization Awareness Month in the US, so what better time to get nerdy about the Read more…
Some of you, yes! There are several new tools to protect us from RSV on the horizon. TL;DR: There will be several new options to protect against severe complications from RSV this fall in the US: RSV vaccine for adults 60 and over (2 new options approved) Monoclonal Antibody to prevent RSV in children up Read more…
A: No, at at this time you should just try to avoid mosquito bites. 🦟Preventive medications for malaria are not recommended for travel in the United States right now, but stay tuned on this evolving situation! On June 26, 2023, the Florida Department of Health issued a health alert after identifying a small cluster of Read more…
A: Yes! If you test positive for COVID-19 you should isolate for 5 days and wear a mask around others for an additional 5 days. Most COVID news these days is good: for example it has dropped from the 3rd leading cause of death in the U.S. to number 7. U.S. excess deaths have recently Read more…
Yes, you can be depressed in the summer. Some people actually feel depressed every summer and they may have summer seasonal affective disorder (SAD). But WHAT is summer SAD and why does it happen? People with SAD generally have depression that happens seasonally and for at least two years in a row. You might notice Read more…
Q: How does the new OTC birth control pill compare to prescription ones? – Lili C. A: The newly approved OTC birth control pill is a low-dose progestin-only pill that was previously prescription-only. It is very safe and highly effective. This particular pill (norgestrel 0.075 mg, now marketed as Opill) was initially approved for prescription Read more…
A: Probably not. TL;DR: Water is probably the healthiest beverage of choice, but don’t stress if you enjoy your diet drinks in moderation. Recently the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a World Health Organization body, announced that it will classify aspartame, the artificial sweetener used in many diet drinks, as a class 2B Read more…
Tl;dr: The Dunning-Kruger effect occurs when someone’s lack of knowledge or skill in a certain area causes them to overestimate their own ability. It also causes people who are the most competent to think less of their skill. Self-reflection, objective measures of performance, and getting meaningful feedback can help keep you from falling victim to Read more…
Marijuana may not be as addictive as opioids or alcohol, but it is definitely associated with some negative consequences, especially among adolescents. In June of this year, a study was published in Nature Medicine detailing the efficacy in a small trial of an experimental drug to combat marijuana addiction. When it comes to marijuana, there Read more…
Mental health matters for all! Did you know that July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month in the United States? Across the nation (and world), racial and ethnic minority communities contend with unique mental health struggles that urgently require our attention. Due to wide-ranging inequities across housing, transportation, healthcare, and related sectors, BIPOC Americans (a Read more…
To round out the end of Pride Month, Those Nerdy Girls would like to use today’s post to celebrate our Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer & Questioning, Two Spirit, Intersex, Agender, and Asexual (LGBTQ2SIA+) brothers, sisters, and siblings in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Wow, that is a mouthful! Thank goodness for acronyms! 😅 Read more…
A: Differences in brain structure and/or function, hormone levels during different phases of development, and even genetics seem to shape our internal sense of gender identity. We all have a gender identity, or an internal sense of self as belonging somewhere on a gender spectrum. For most people, their gender identity aligns with what is Read more…
The process of grief is different for everyone taking place over weeks, months, and often years. This post provides science on grief as well as perspective on coping with the death of a loved one with the hope of normalizing a process that is both extremely personal and universally shared. Grief is the process of Read more…
