Beautiful Minds A Little Matter of Gender 1/5

Synopsis
An investigation into the differences between male and female brains, using the mysterious savants as a key area of study.

The differences between male and female brains have plagued scientists for centuries but with new brain scanning technologies, they can now examine exactly what goes on inside our heads.

Of particular interest are savants; a small but highly intelligent group of people who can multiply 5-digit numbers without a calculator, speak a dozen languages or recite 12,000 books from memory.

Six out of seven savants are male, begging the question: how big is this little difference between male and female brains? Could gender be the key to the savant's capacity for genius?

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Beautiful
• Minds
• Little
• Matter
• of
• Gender
• genius
• savants
• neurology
• science
• kim
• peek
• daniel
• tammet

[charmedjoey]

She "sees through the eyes of a cow" and can feel what animals feel, yet she designs slaughter houses? :S

[gr4nd7h3f731373]

@charmedjoey Money is the root of all evil.

[mikaelfodor]

The ratio of autism is 4.3:1 male:female. Such a high difference is surely indicative of an inherent difference between the sexes that cannot be explained by child rearing styles. Simon Baron-Cohen surely does not appear to be hysterical in his assertion, seems more like a well reasoned arguement.

[SarabethJaffe]

that is such a sexist view on gender

[benz8910]

@gr4nd7h3f731373 maybe its just the lesser of two evils in her mind....if there being slaughtered anyway why not slaughter them as painlessly as possible

[Natsukashii3]

@zammmerjammer Well of course looks are important, however I never said she was ugly or attractive & I never said that was all that mattered. What I did say was she "dsn't like to look very feminine" or girly. Just an observation, that's all

[zammmerjammer]

@yanelpapi False. You need to add the word "historically" into that sentence. If you look at academic achievement in the present day you'll see that when given the opportunity women surpass men.

[zammmerjammer]

@Boogers32150 That explanation is bollocks. There are plenty of aggressive women and plenty of socially adept men. Just because a population leans one way statistically let's not make ridiculous sweeping statements about "men did this" and "women did this" If you know anything about biology and evolution you'll know there are LOTS of successful survival strategies.

[zammmerjammer]

@Natsukashii3 You mean she's not pretty? Really? Nice to know that you can overcome a lifelong disability, become a doctor, and be internationally renowned in your field but to some people it still only matters what you look like.

[Krenisphia]

At least this one isn't born in the kitchen.

[Natsukashii3]

"she" dsn't like to look very feminine

[someguy1228]

What does she say at 8:14? icicles?

[Sophie0257]

@charmedjoey If you love animals, and know slaughter is inevitable, designing a humane way to do so seems very empathetic.