Transgender people's brain activity matches gender identity, not biological sex
Julie Bakker, a Belgian neurologist at the University of Liege, discovered new information about brain activity in transgender individuals.
According to Bakker’s results, brain activity of a transgender person matches up with their gender identity, not their sex assigned at birth.
The study included MRIs of 160 children and teenagers who experience gender dysphoria. This condition involves someone feeling their gender identity does not align with their biological sex.
The technique used is known as diffusion tensor imaging.
Bakker ultimately concluded that trans boys’ brains resemble cis boys’ brains, while trans girls’ brains resemble cis girls’ brains.
Helping trans youth
Bakker acknowledges more research on this topic is necessary. However, she believes this is a good start.
‘We now have evidence that sexual differentiation of the brain differs in young people with GD, as they show functional brain characteristics that are typical of their desired gender.
‘We will then be better equipped to support these young people, instead of just sending them to a psychiatrist and hoping that their distress will disappear spontaneously.’
H/t: Telegraph
Instagram Finally Has A Mute Button - Finally, there is a way to quiet your main feed on Instagram!
If you have a friend or two that post incessantly, you can now mute them. Instead of unfollowing someone, which can lead to hurt feelings, you can mute them and your friend will be none the wiser.
All you have to do is tap the three dots at the top of someone’s post, choose mute and you are done!
The feature is going to slowly roll out. Source: BuzzFeed
Almost Half of Millennials Plan to Quit Their Jobs
Millennials are seen as job hoppers…it’s just the way it goes. And for good reason, too! Most millennials land their first or second jobs and end up staying in them for a year or two before moving on. In fact, a recent study by Deloitte showed that 43% of millennials plan on quitting their job within two-years.
But there are good reasons for this. For starters, most millennials are still trying to figure out what they want to be when they grow up, so they’re testing the waters at different jobs. On top of that, about 75% of millennials are worried that companies are only acting out of their personal gain, and a little unethically at that. We’re not so keen on sticking with a company that we think is treating its employees unfairly.
The key is to have a mutual understanding of loyalty. Treat a millennial right, and they’ll treat you right back! It’s pretty simple.
Source: Forbes
Science Says Your Bed Is Dirtier Than You Think
For a lot of us, our beds are our happy places, the spot we happily retreat to every night to burrow down in our comforters and pillows and get cozy for as long as possible. But according to new research, our beds are a lot grosser than we think. Just how nasty are we talking? Well, it turns out, your bed is probably dirtier than a chimpanzee’s bed.
That’s right, the place where we lay down to sleep each and every night is actually filthier than where chimps sleep. Researchers in a new studyfrom North Carolina State University swabbed 41 chimpanzee beds and tested them for “microbial diversity.” And they found that human beds are more likely to be crawling with fecal, oral, and skin bacteria than chimp beds. Ew, right?
And all that filth in our beds is actually coming from us. Because people spend so much time inside, all of our bacteria (like feces and skin flakes) collects in our homes and in our beds because it doesn’t have anywhere else to go. Chimps live outside and sleep in their natural environments, so they’re not exposed to as much bacteria. They also change their beds more often, so bacteria doesn’t have a chance to build up, but people tend to find a bed and stay in it for years and years, so bacteria has time to do it’s thing.
So what can we do? Unless you want to wash your sheets every single day, not much. The upside is we’ve been living in this filth for our entire lives, so we don’t really have to worry about it. But try not thinking about it tonight when you snuggle up to all that bacteria.
Source: Shape
Parents successfully sue 30-year-old son to move out of their home
One couple has not had the luxury of experiencing empty-nest syndrome because their 30-year-old son refuses to move out of their home. So, they took him to court.
Mark and Christina Rotondo sued their son, Michael, to get him to leave their house after living there rent free for eight years, People reports. A judge has ruled in favor of the parents Tuesday.
Before the couple took legal action, they tried to reason with him by writing him letters and even offered him $1,100 to help him get on his feet. The son still refused to fly the coop.
“After a discussion with your Mother, we have decided that you must leave this house immediately,” Mark wrote to Michael, according to CBS Philly. “You have 14 days to vacate. You will not be allowed to return. We will take whatever actions are necessary to enforce this decision.”
Finally, his parents had enough and took legal action.
“Michael Joseph Rotondo, You are hereby evicted from [home address] effective immediately,” the eviction letter reads.
Michael --who represented himself in court -- said his parents did not give him the six months notice that is required to evict someone.
But, the judge still did not side with him. Once the judge ruled that Michael would have to leave his parents house in 30 days, he told reporters that the ruling was simply "outrageous."
Gluten-Free Condoms Are Now Available, but why?!
These days, it seems like every product under the sun has some sort of gluten-free iteration. Now, the all-natural personal care company Lola has launched a line of condoms ($11 for 12) that purport to be paraben-free, fragrance-free, casein-free, and, of course, gluten-free. Lola joins other condom companies Glyde, Green Condom Club, and Sustain, which also offer products that claim to be totally devoid of the dreaded gluten. At this point, you're probably wondering: wait, condoms have gluten in them? Well, according to a statement sent to MensHealth.com from Lola co-founders Alex Friedman and Jordana Kier, most condoms don't. But there's a chance that they use lubricant that does. Because the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classifies condoms as medical devices, condom manufacturers are not required to disclose product ingredients.
- Do you use Gluten Free condoms for extra safe sex?
- Have you ever gotten sick from a condom?
Link: https://www.menshealth.com/sex-women/a20791279/gluten-free-condoms/
Amazon To Ban Customers With Too Many Returns: If you find yourself making a return to Amazon, you may want to consider it carefully. That’s because Amazon is banning customers who make too many returns. Former Amazon policy enforcement investigator Chris McCabe says the company bans users who cause “a lot of headaches for Amazon.” Mainly just those who abuse the system, but sometimes it can be unexpected. Like in Shira Golan’s case, she claims she only ever made returns to the company when she received damaged items or ones she didn’t order. “I didn’t get any warning,” she says of the company permanently disabling her account for an “unusual” amount of issues with her orders. A rep for Amazon says they “never take these decisions lightly” to ban customers, however they “take action when appropriate.” Former Amazon senior manager James Thomson says, “If your behavior is consistently outside the norm, you’re not really the kind of customer they want.”