The biology of gender, from DNA to the brain | Karissa Sanbonmatsu

How exactly does gender work? It's not just about our chromosomes, says biologist Karissa Sanbonmatsu. In a visionary talk, she shares new discoveries from epigenetics, the emerging study of how DNA activity can permanently change based on social factors like trauma or diet. Learn how life experiences shape the way genes are expressed -- and what that means for our understanding of gender.

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[HumansOfVR]

Regardless of gender, this life is for loving, sharing, learning, smiling, caring, forgiving, laughing, hugging, helping, dancing, wondering, healing, and even more loving. I choose to live life this way

[niklas]

[Off-topic] That Yoda impression was near to perfect.

[sonictech]

I really would have liked to have heard more about the gender/brain differences, differences in development etc. This seemed too scattered and "fluffy".

[Gunnar]

Y'all just see the word "gender" and dislike huh.

[stephaniesmith]

Interesting stuff on how the DNA forms 'knots' when trauma happens so your body stops being able to produce the stress-reducing cells as much. I've never heard that and would love to know more!

[Lungagnone]

First of all, why is she talking about genetics if she studied physics is beyond me. I know that study of structural biology is aided by techniques such as x-ray diffractometry and NMR but not all scientist can talk about anything they feel like, especially if they need to spread scientific knowledge.


The patchy pattern that she described in calico cats happens only in genetic females, meaning XX sexual chromosomes: that's because during embryogenesis in biologic females each cell decides which one of the 2 X chromosomes to inactivate since they cannot be both on and the one that is inactivated form those "knots" or Barr body.


So I'm sorry but I don't believe that differetial activation of female and male genes in her brain and her genitals, atleast, not in this sense. It is true that genital apparatus and nervous system derives from different cell line or germ layers, mesoderm and ectoderm respectively, so if there is a biological reason for gender dysphoria (or whatever you wanna call it) linked to embryo formation is probably there.


But maybe It's beacuse I'm Italian

[manifestgtr]

At this point, I click Ted videos on gender/race/politics just to see the like to dislike ratio hahaha

[littlelady]

She did not explain, she only provided support to trans people. If she is already talking about science, she should have explained what process takes place in the brain when such a problem arises. It would be nice if someone took the gender issue more seriously so that we could help people feel the way they were born, and not make them feel differently mentally.

[Kocan]

Interesting concept, but too much gender things mixed into this lecture, I would love to see this lecture with Mrs Karissa as a lecturer but purely from neuroscience and genetics standpoint.

[wesliemartin]

Does anyone have any science to explain things such as nonbinary?

[purikim]

So gender is social construct, right? And brain development of females and males is different, so what the brain structure has to do with social construct?

I'm actually looking for the answer, if you know it then please respond

[MilitantPeaceist]

The Y chromosome for humans, over the years, has lost most its information. It only holds about 50 odd genes compared to the X which holds about 600. The X is responsible for brain formation in all humans as well as many other things & the Y is responsible for genitals and sperm formation or in short, sexual reproduction in males only (all humans are neo-female at conception and males can only be produced via a specific procedure).

While there maybe some residual genes left in the Y that could hold innate information, it is far more likely that all innate information is in the X chromosome and the supposed innate differences between male and female are just 2 sides of the same X coin. There is no reason to suggest males are innately different to females when we all conform to the same X chromosome for what we perceive as awareness.

While adoption and twin studies show us some innate conditions apply (violence & aggression, drug abuse etc) ruling out Tabula Rasa, it doesn’t show how behaviour between the sexes are different.

An Australian team have found 4 genes different in transgender females compared to all other females. This is not proof of anything concrete but it is also proof that there maybe a genetic component to identity.

I think there will be so many ways we can explain the human experience & the work this lady is doing will enlighten many areas of what is and what is not innate that we may finally discover the origins of what we thought were differences, end up being different expressions of the same thing.

And she rocks Yoda!

[anonim]

Why not consider it a neurological disease as I understand it actually is and start researching for treatment than pumping hormones into kids who later on might "change their mind"?

[vericak]

I wish she told us more about the actual difference in the brain

[pineguy]

I’m going to man up. I’m going to become the man I always have been. The one on the inside is coming out baby!!
Update: Came out as trans late 2020 :, ) was hospitalized and a guy named Darren (an ftm nurse) helped me realize it.
I go by cedar now and once I move out I’m starting T!

[_ScottSauce]

This is awesome! I see comments that are fact checking her (and I’m not saying fact checking is bad, fact checking should happen without mercy in science) but just be sure not to dismiss her! These Ted talks are solo speakers, cut them all a break. They should serve as your seed to be interested in a topic, not your primary source to feel like you just learned all of GENder-netjcs in 13 minutes (I’m sure at least one or two or three-thousand oversimplification and Summaries were made lol) I’m also sure that they’ve been doing real science with a million computers all linked together. There’s a lot of people attacking her for letting how human she is show, maybe that is inappropriate in scientific lectures. But I would think that in her everyday life when she isn’t at work, she has to deal with the stereo types that a lot of people believe she is a man just “pretending” to be a woman. So when she has an audience who will actually listen to her long enough to know she’s educated in the science of DNA, maybe then they will look at her as a person & as a woman (not as an old man creep in a dress). Also some ppl only listen to science not compassion, so if they only see science but they don’t see the woman in her they may still think being transgender is bs. When it obviously isn’t because that woman is standing on that stage proud. There are other reasons I think that her showing herself and her story and that emotion she has and her femininity do help people’s minds absorb the knowledge, but this comment is to long and no-one cares, Anyway I thought this was incredibly interesting and also spectacular for awareness of how humans work. But what do I know... I can’t speak for transgender people I’m not one, I’m not part of any under/mis-represented group... so I don’t know her reasons ( that other reason I didn’t list more reasons 😅)

[cecillewolters]

Loved the talk :)
Would’ve liked to hear more about the genetics and differences, but that may be in the future. For now, this was interesting enough ;)
I really love to see a transgender being taken seriously, it gives me courage for my own future.
Thank you ☺️

[graziella]

Hello Madam.
Your speech was... interessing but not as a scientist perspectiv.

You asked a question and, at the end you said that, this question does not that matter...

You talk about how we can develop in our mom's womb, then talk about DNA, then talk about woman and man brain then talk about your pain and attempt of suicide...
As a presentation to share your personnal experience of being a woman (trans), it was a very beautiful and mooving speech.
As a scientist presentation it's not enough acurate...
Sorry.

[delorafurzehill]

Awesome talk.
I am on a similar mission to understand my transgender brain.
I only recently accepted my true identity after hiding from the truth for 40 years. I am also a scientist, and have this need to understand the world around me, And now the world in my head.

[megansteele-clark]

Because of your fake ideas does not mean it’s the truth. Just because you believe it doesn’t mean it’s real. It’s called imagination. Yalls parents let y’all play imagination too much that you got lost in la la land.