Medical Science - Tumblr Posts

There is evidence to suggest that chimpanzees, like humans, can experience a phase similar to menopause. Menopause is a biological phenomenon in which females cease to be fertile and undergo hormonal and reproductive changes. In the case of chimpanzees, studies have observed that female chimpanzees also go through a reproductive senescence, a period of time when they cease to reproduce.

Research conducted on wild chimpanzee populations, particularly in East Africa, has shown that female chimpanzees experience a decline in fertility and reproductive success as they age. The age at which chimpanzee females experience reproductive senescence is estimated to be around the mid-30s to early 40s, which is similar to the age range at which human females typically go through menopause.

By the way, the reasons behind reproductive senescence in chimpanzees are not fully understood, but it's believed to be related to physiological changes and possibly ecological factors.

Besides humans and chimpanzees, there are a few other species of animals where females experience menopause or a similar reproductive phenomenon. Here are some examples:

Orcas (Killer Whales): Female killer whales are known to go through menopause. The reasons behind this are not entirely clear, but it is suggested that older females, post-reproductive, play a crucial role in supporting and guiding their offspring and the larger pod, contributing to the survival and reproductive success of their kin.

Short-finned Pilot Whales: Similar to killer whales, short-finned pilot whales also exhibit post-reproductive lifespans, where older females cease reproduction and contribute to the social structure and survival of the group.

Narwhals: Female narwhals have been observed to go through menopause as well. As with other species, post-reproductive females may contribute to the group's overall fitness by assisting with the care of younger members.

Beluga Whales: There is some evidence suggesting that beluga whales also experience a form of menopause. Older females may stop reproducing and play roles in supporting their social groups.

Because it's still sort of the new year and I've not blogged nearly enough to give this internet corner an identity yet, I thought I'd talk about my life at the moment.

I'm on Uni break from my Medical Science degree, which will hopefully become a Medicine post-grad in two years. I really enjoy Science and want to be a Doctor (at the moment, I'm looking at Pathology) but I kind of miss the diversity of High School with all of STEM plus the Humanities.

Because I'm super forgetful, I've recently started using Obsidian to try to organise my thoughts into a 'second brain' so that important things don't evaporate from my head as soon as I need them.

I'm self-teaching myself Python, which is fun. I'm currently trying to write a program that lets you create and use a character sheet for DnD5e.

I'm a little interested in learning how to use base2 counting in everyday life, and a lot interested in the Shavian writing system for English at the moment.

·𐑖𐑱𐑝𐑾𐑯 𐑦𐑟 𐑮𐑰𐑤𐑦 𐑓𐑳𐑯!

I'm a lifesaver and bartender but mostly unemployed.

I play hockey, and am thinking about moving back to defence after trying out striker last year.

How fast can you say “Lana Llama marries Larry’s llama, Donna” out loud?

It’s...for science.

I don't know if anyone else will find this particularly useful, but Stanford University has a publicly available collection of pictures from human dissections!

They're sorted by part of the body, and from what I can tell, all the images are labeled. Just remember that these are dissection pictures, and may not be suitable for all audiences.

The spooky truth is how little is known about the dangers of breast implants. A medicine would go through about twenty years of testing before getting official approval to show that it’s probably safe for humans. Implants were not studied until doctors were already performing operations. In fact, all women who get their breasts enlarged are part of an ongoing experiment that could be called ‘What happens when you do this to breasts?’ It’s been trial and error ever since the first op; they’ve used substances that are poisonous and have migrated around the body, like vegetable and soy oil, they’ve used substandard and industrial-grade silicone, PIP implants were found to have a one-in-six chance of exploding, all implants make it more difficult to screen for breast cancer and can interfere with breastfeeding and/or reduce breast sensitivity, and that’s only the success stories. That’s without the awful reports of operations gone wrong, the unqualified butchers, the backstreet conmen and the deaths they’ve caused.

Animal: The Autobiography of a Female Body: Sara Pascoe

Want to know a disturbing statistic? You know I said that all women who have boob jobs are unwittingly part of an ongoing study; well, lots of studies are conducted using their data – health complications afterwards, further cosmetic procedures, etc. And a meta-analysis of all these studies found that women who’ve had breast enlargements are two to three times more likely to commit suicide than women who haven’t. We need to think about that. About why this is happening, about the vulnerabilities of the women who choose cosmetic surgery and the normalisation of such choices. When they asked cosmetic surgeons about this rise in suicides they didn’t understand: ‘they were happy with their operations,’ they said; ‘she didn’t show signs of depression.’ But someone who wants to have their body cut open, to pay for it, is already self-harming. Carving criticism on their body. The expense and clever doctors persuading us surgery is more reasonable than razor work in your own bathroom. Psychologists are now paying attention to this suicide increase, asking whether it could be a result of surgery or a predisposition in those who seek it. But the whole thing feels too casual to me. I wonder if a pill or tablet that made you three times more likely to kill yourself would get approval from government departments?

Animal: The Autobiography of a Female Body; Sara Pascoe