We’ll admit we’re heartily sick of covid. We’re tired of the constant looming threat of variants. We’re confused by surprise self-isolation orders. We’re so over sticking swabs up our beak. But are we ready for the maskless and personal-space-encroaching ‘FreEdOm DaY’? Erm, not really.
This virus ain’t going away anytime soon so we DO need to learn to live with it. But ignoring (some of) the science and telling people that from an arbitrary date they can effectively do away with masks etc? We feel like we’ve been here before… with the added joy of creating the perfect conditions for a new vaccine-resistant variant to emerge 🤦♀️
Personally, we’ve liked strangers keeping their distance – strange men in particular. And we’ve liked the privacy that masks offer (and the secret grimaces behind them). More than anything, we like that wearing a mask helps protect others. We’re not total heartless harpies, you know.
So despite the headlines and government spin, we’re going to listen to scientists and doctors on this one… Join us, dear hags. And remember to maintain a 2-m rule at all times for the patriarchy.
TIT BITS
Keeping abreast of the latest news, views, and research
The forgotten woman of botany
Wow, can you believe that a woman “did a science” in the 19th century and hasn’t made it into the history books? We can. Thankfully, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) are on a mission to track down this mystery woman after finding her drawings and notes in an old copy of The English Flora. Not only will Isabella A Allen get acknowledgement for her work, but tracking her down could help the RHS find out more about women’s contributions to botany.
Insult to injury
While surgery to remove the rogue womb cells that cause endometriosis can bring relief for some, for others, it’s becoming clear that nerve damage during the surgery may worsen pain. It’s only in the last five years that it’s become widely accepted that there are different types of endometriosis, and whether surgery helps or harms seems to depend on what type you have, but research is still lacking. Given that thousands of these surgeries are carried out every year this seems like something of an oversight, but we guess we’ll just add it to the list of things we don’t know about a condition that affects 1 in 10 women. So how can we figure out what type of endometriosis you have and whether surgery might help? Ironically, the only answer is… surgery. It's 2021. Space tourism is around the corner. And yet the only way to definitively diagnose this common and potentially crippling disease is to make a hole in your tummy and rummage around your innards like your nanna searching her handbag for the last Werther’s Original. Make it make sense.
“We were just trying to be scientists”
A documentary out now on Netflix explores exactly why women are under-represented in science – and (spoiler alert) it turns out it’s less about lady-brains and more about deep-rooted sexism. The amazing women scientists featured have some truly jaw-dropping stories to tell – imagine meeting your scientific hero, only to have him casually grope your breasts over the microscope, or working your ass off to become a chemistry professor and being mistaken for a janitor (while working at your OWN DESK in your OWN OFFICE) because you’re a Black woman, or going on the trip of a lifetime to the icy plains of Antarctica to find yourself trapped with a bullying supervisor who calls you a c*nt and throws rocks at you. And they wonder why science has a “leaky pipeline.” Scientists and feminists – get this on your watch list!
TO THE KRAKEN 🦑
Designers of jaw-locking device need locking up
It was all over the headlines a few weeks ago but the furore is only just reaching Ms. K in her lair. That’s right, the news of the ‘DentalSlim Diet Control device’ has reached the murky depths and judgement day is here.
Hell hath no fury like a leviathan who scorns. Ms. K is raging: as if women* don’t face enough stigma over their appearance and a constant barrage of body shaming and diet culture BS, some twats decided a literal torture device for weight loss would be a good idea. A device which locks the jaw shut with magnets, forcing the wearer (sorry, victim) to only consume liquids. All with the added side effects of finding it difficult to speak and losing the will to live.
A couple of years in the brig of her sunken pirate ship should do the trick for the designers of this dehumanising device. No magnets here though: only rusty chains and a taste of their own liquid medicine.
*Ms. K is aware that the device isn’t solely MADE for women but since the study was done ONLY in women she can read between the lines on who is the target market for this oral contraption.
More things unlocking our jaws this week:
Maintenance Phase pod tackles keto | This poetic riposte to the WHO’s ill-advised comments on preventing drinking in women of childbearing age | “There’s nothing wrong with having cinema-sized meat curtains” (NSFW) | Simple, cost-effective ways to make space for girls in public parks | Amazing science images
The HEX Science team
🧬Jean Splicer | ☢ Marie Fury | 🧠 Rorschach Tess | 🔬 Rosalind Frankly