Is This a Case of Pharmaceutical Idea Laundering?

In this 144th in a series of live discussions with Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying (both PhDs in Biology), we discuss the state of the world through an evolutionary lens.

This week, we discuss the prestigious scientific journal Nature, and its promotion of an anti-scientific perspective on sex and gender. We also discuss the not-so-prestigious journal Transgender Studies Quarterly, and its take on species concepts, and also on the “Trans*-Ness of Blackness.” We discuss the new research that finds that covid vaccines do affect women’s menstrual cycles, and also the shortcomings both in that research, and in the Washington Post’s reporting on it. Bret offers pro bono marketing help to Pfizer. And we talk about Great Britain’s medical regulatory agency (MHRA) moving from its role as “watchdog” of outside entities, to that of “enabler.”

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Mentioned in this episode:

Currah, Paisley, 2022. To set transgender policy, look to the evidence. Nature, 9-27-22: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-03036-5

Transgender Studies Quarterly, main site: https://read.dukeupress.edu/tsq

Trans Species: https://read.dukeupress.edu/tsq/article/1/1-2/253/91865/Trans-Species

Hasenbush et al 2019. Gender Identity Nondiscrimination Laws in Public Accommodations: a Review of Evidence Regarding Safety and Privacy in Public Restrooms, Locker Rooms, and Changing Rooms. Sex Res Soc Policy 16: 70–83. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13178-018-0335-z

Livestream of protest of “Outright Vermont,” from 10-1-22, on the YouTube channel of the Disaffected Podcast: https://youtu.be/OBk5hWxPe4I

Washington Post article (by Amanda Morris, 9-27-22): Women said coronavirus shots affect periods. New study shows they’re right. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2022/09/27/covid-vaccine-period-late/

Edelman et al 2022. Association between menstrual cycle length and covid-19 vaccination: global, retrospective cohort study of prospectively collected data. BMJ Medicine, 1(1). https://bmjmedicine.bmj.com/content/bmjmed/1/1/e000297.full.pdf?with-ds=yes

The Digger, Phil Harper’s Substack: https://philharper.substack.com

Dr. June Raine’s talk at Oxford in March 2022, “From Watchdog to Enabler: Regulation in Covid and after”: https://youtu.be/xUQfzTqPUm4?t=1818

Timestamps:
(00:00) Welcome and announcements

(04:00) Sponsors

(11:53) Nature on Trans

(26:05) Trans gender studies quarterly

(36:32) Another research article from TGSQ

(39:45) Nature's responsibility

(50:18) WaPo on menstrual cycle length and COVID vaccination

(01:04:20) Uptake of new bivalent booster

(01:08:23) MHRA from watchdog to enabler

(01:26:00) Wrap up

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