logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2021
40m 24s

Sex and Gender

Justin McElroy, Dr. Sydnee McElroy
About this episode

There has been lots of discourse about gender expression recently, and “science” is often trotted out as an argument to deny the experience of others. “Feel however you want,” these arguments typically begin, “but there are only two sexes, and they’re easily defined, and that’s just science.” 

That’s … well it’s crap.

This week on Sawbones, join us as we make it extremely clear where science stands on this complex issue.

Up next
Jul 8
Sawbones: King of Sting
A dovetail from last week’s episode, Dr. Sydnee and Justin talk about the official pain scale of insect stings, all compiled by Justin O. Schmidt. So who was this Justin, how did his research contribute to science, and did he really get stung by all these insects to make a non-ob ... Show More
33m 52s
Jul 1
Sawbones: Wasps
After an unfortunate and painful encounter with an angry flying insect, Dr. Sydnee and Justin talk about wasps: how their stings work, and a journey into the science behind some folk remedies.Music: "Medicines" by The Taxpayers https://taxpayers.bandcamp.com/Immigrant Defenders L ... Show More
40m 2s
Jun 24
Sawbones: The Heartmobile
It used to be that if you needed to get to the hospital quickly, you would call the herse – because it had the space to transport a person who was lying down. Well, all of that changed in Columbus, OH, with the Heartmobile, known as the first ambulance. Dr. Sydnee and Justin talk ... Show More
31m 36s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2017
The Edge of Gender
Gender is one of the first things we notice about the people around us. But where do our ideas about gender come from? Can gender differences be explained by genes and chromosomes, or are they the result of upbringing, culture and the environment? This week, we delve into the deb ... Show More
49m 50s
Feb 2023
[HORS-SÉRIE] Celui où on parlait de sexe w/ Mansplaining
Existe-t-il ou non une différence entre les sexes en matière de libido ? Combien de fois par jour les hommes et les femmes pensent au sexe ? Les hommes ont-ils vraiment plus de pulsions que les femmes ?  Comment fonctionne l’orgasme dans le cerveau d’un homme et d’une femme ? Dur ... Show More
35m 4s
Mar 2023
Gender/Sex and the Body || Anne Fausto-Sterling
Today we welcome Dr. Anne Fausto-Sterling. She is the Nancy Duke Lewis Professor Emerita of Biology and Gender Studies in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Biochemistry at Brown University. Her books and scholarly articles are referenced widely in feminist and scie ... Show More
56m 43s
Mar 2020
The weird history of the "sex chromosomes" | Molly Webster
The common thinking on biological sex goes like this: females have two X chromosomes in their cells, while males have one X and one Y. In this myth-busting talk, science writer and podcaster Molly Webster shows why the so-called "sex chromosomes" are more complicated than we may ... Show More
13m 30s
Jul 2016
Battle of the Sexes
Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined on stage by Professor Sophie Scott, Professor Steve Jones and comedian Sara Pascoe. They will be tackling the age old battle of the sexes, and asking whether men really are from Mars, and women really are from Venus? Probably not, according to ... Show More
45m 41s
Dec 2018
The Science Of Being Transgender
Recently we’ve been hearing a lot about transgender identity. That made us wonder… what makes us the gender that we are? And what should you do if your kid doesn’t fit the mold? To find out, we talked with endocrinologist Dr. Joshua Safer, psychologist Dr. Laura Edwards-Leeper, a ... Show More
40m 49s
Dec 2021
Using Math To Rethink Gender (encore)
Gender is infused in many aspects of our world — but should that be the case? According to mathematician Eugenia Cheng, maybe not. In her new book, x+y, she challenges readers to think beyond their ingrained conceptions of gender. Instead, she calls for a new dimension of thinkin ... Show More
13m 56s
Feb 2021
Geschlecht ist mehr als Mann und Frau
Medizin auf dem Weg zur Vielfalt Durch die weit verbreitete Fehlannahme, es gebe nur die meist bei Geburt zugeteilten Geschlechter Mann und Frau gelten nach aktuellem ICD transidente Menschen als psychisch krank. Aktuell hat der europäische Gerichtshof für Menschenrechte den Besc ... Show More
20m 12s
Apr 2022
What is a Woman?
Zoe Strimpel asks the seemingly simple question 'what is a woman', but finds no simple answer as she explores the question through a brief history of feminist thought. She explores the ongoing controversy over trans women in women's competitive sport, and the reluctance of public ... Show More
9m 47s
Mar 2023
A conversation about sex and gender
Conversations around sex and gender today are rife with acrimony and seemingly irreconcilable viewpoints. It can be hard to find places of agreement or even commonly held definitions. But Elizabeth Sweeny Block and Abigail Favale are two Catholic scholars who have modeled civil d ... Show More
52m 16s