Issue 10: Women of Science Jan '24
News, research, reviews, recommendations & a repurposed day in the life of a PhD student...
Welcome back to Women of Science, featuring all the best happenings re: women of science every week 🧬 (+ will January 2024 ever end…?! 🐌)
🔬 What to expect?
All subscribers receive the free edition covering weekly highlights in media, awards and discovery as well as things to read, see and watch re: women in science. Drops every Tuesday. Tell your friends:
Thank you for joining. Enjoy the read.
A quick run-down of this issue:
Abstract & Intro: News and updates on all things women of and in science
Materials, Methods, Discussion: A recommended read from Varsity on PhD student life...
Conclusions & Further Reading: Reccos, reads, research & links this week 
Abstract & Intro
Headlines, news & media snippets re: women of science this week
📌 Medicine & physiology: Human embryo replicas have gotten more complex. Here’s what you need to know
For researchers working on these lab-engineered embryo models, the faux embryos are new tools to gain insight into the “black box” of human development, after embryos implant in the uterus.
📌 Tech: UK DDaT Women in Tech Programme
The UK’s Home Office announced their DDaT Women in Tech programme launch this week, aiming to address the under-representation of women in technology (currently at an estimated 17%) by dealing with the barriers women face and contributing to closing the Gender Pay Gap.
📌 Tech: Fitness wearables should have special settings for seniors and senior women, researchers argue
Devices that track fitness levels are biased toward younger cohorts in their calibration and recommendations, new research argues. The study, which looked at older women in particular, recommends using different “cutpoints,” or levels of physical activity to better tailor needs to different age and gender groups.
📌 Health: Consuming More Plant Protein May Aid Healthier Aging In Women
Dietary protein intake, especially plant protein, in midlife plays an important role in the promotion of healthy aging and in maintaining good health at older ages.
📌 General science: Citations show gender bias — and the reasons are surprising
Gender bias in paper citations is less common among younger scientists, but it still plays a part in making women’s research less visible.
📌 Marine biology: Women marine scientists Salty Science complete World's Toughest Row
Four women scientists have successfully completed the World's Toughest Row—3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean. University of South Florida biology professor Chantale Bégin and her all female team, named Salty Science, came in first place among women and 7th overall.
& in other brief news:
Materials, Methods, Discussion
No essay from us this week, but enjoy our favourite recent parody from the Cambridge University Varsity newspaper - 👩🔬 A day in the life of a Cambridge PhD student
An oldie from last year but a goldie. Just for lolz. And maybe some tears.
Conclusions & Further Reading
More links & signposts for you to enjoy this week…
Publication of the week
Azithromycin during Routine Well-Infant Visits to Prevent Death
Mass distribution of azithromycin to children 1 to 59 months of age has been shown to reduce childhood all-cause mortality in some sub-Saharan African regions, with the largest reduction seen among infants younger than 12 months of age. Whether the administration of azithromycin at routine health care visits for infants would be effective in preventing death is unclear.
Why is this useful? Targeting azithromycin distribution to infants, who have the highest mortality, may be a strategy that reduces mortality in the most vulnerable groups while limiting selection for antimicrobial resistance by reducing the number of children receiving azithromycin. However, in this trial conducted in Burkina Faso, the researchers found that administration of azithromycin to infants through the existing health care system did not prevent death. (Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; CHAT ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03676764. opens in new tab.)
Books & review articles:
🏥 Abortion Is Health Care: Michele Bratcher Goodwin argues the case in JAMA.
🥱 Falling behind: postdocs in their thirties tire of putting life on hold: Temporary contracts, low salaries and cost-of-living hikes force many researchers to put off parenthood and other big decisions.
A Psychologist Debunks 10 Common ‘Marriage Myths’: Not everything that we think makes a perfect marriage is true. Here’s how to avoid letting "marital myths" plague your union.
🥛 Four Companies Innovating In Breastfeeding Support: Innovative companies like SimpliFed, Nyssa, Work & Mother, and Lactamo are addressing the most common breastfeeding challenges with novel products.
👩🔬 Bringing eclipsed women of astronomy and physics into the light: In Her Space, Her Time, physicist Shohini Ghose elucidates the stories of women scientists who contributed to and led some of the biggest breakthroughs in astronomy and physics.
Interview of the week:
Who cares if the CEO is a man if the company is +50% owned by women?
Swedish community startup and VC fund Feminvest is raising a new fund to focus on female ownership: Michaela Berglund, founder and CEO of the female investment network, tells Sifted that this isn’t moving the dial either.
Podcast of the week:
Under the Sisterhood: Alice Zheng - Principal at RH Capital, a Rhia Ventures fund - talks leading investments in innovative women's health companies across the life sciences, digital health, and consumer health. Alice is a frequent speaker on FemTech and women's health innovation, and holds advising and mentoring roles with multiple women’s health accelerators and forums. Tune in at the link!
Opportunity of the week:
The Healthtech Podcast LIVE with Dr Helen O'Neill and Dr Karan Rajan
Join the SomX team IRL at the phenomenal BFI in London with two VERY special guests, along with your host Dr James Somauroo and the SomX team for the very first Healthtech Podcast LIVE!
PLUS WOS subscribers get a discount code for tickets - WOS50 gets you a whopping 50% off! 🎉
📍 February 29, 2024, 2:30pm - 4:30pm
That’s all for this week!
Thank you for reading: The WoS mission is to support, share and promote the innovative and groundbreaking work that has been and continues to be done by women across all scientific disciplines, and to empower and inspire the next generation of female leaders in the field.
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Over the coming months, the WoS community will also be adding to its repertoire of channels for sharing content, so watch this space!