Our top picks from June 13th, 2018

⭃In competitive fields, it can be hard to know where to begin to get a foot in the door if you are uncertain how you will be received, and even harder if some privileges weren't provided to you based on gender, race, or parental income status. This Science News article celebrates and provides a starting point for students who may have been under-served to get into science and be a competitive candidate now and in the future. 

⭃This week, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine came out with a report highlighting the sexual harassment that women can be even more susceptible to in the male-dominated STEM fields. This video sums up the report, mentioning that incidents of sexual harassment can be dramatically lowered by taking just a few easy precautionary steps, including encouraging diversity, and changing the model of the mentor-mentee relationships so that there is not so much dependence on a mentor for a student (possibly by encouraging mentor networks and independent funding opportunities for students).

⭃Steps in the right direction are being made at a Harvard Medical School training hospital. As their core values align more with diversity and helping represent under-represented minorities in medicine, they have decided to take down the portraits of "medical luminaries" that hand in an auditorium. Of the 31 gold-framed portraits, 30 are white males. Read more about how this hospital is trying to make more than just a visual change in the article, "In an about-face, hospital will disperse portraits of past white male luminaries, put the focus on diversity."

Flickr Image by Elaine Smith. 

⭃While the Keto diet (a revamped version of the Adkins diet) might be the fad right now, the idea of staying off carbs might be particularly good for women. This article highlights a study done that found that food such as fish and legumes might help women delay the onset of natural menopause, while consuming refined carbs, like pasta and rice, may actually speed it up!

Stock image: Credit © JPC-PROD/Fotolia

⭃For hard science, where you stand on controversial topics like abortion and birth control doesn't change the outcome of the data. Check out these articles on some of the statistics and facts surrounding studies being done on both.

"New report examines scientific evidence on safety and quality of abortion care in the US"

"Women should have right to reject pregnancy, experts say"

"Having an abortion does not lead to depression"

"Relationship factor affect decisions about contraceptive use among young adults"

"IUDs may have a surprising benefit: Protection against cervical cancer"