Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Summary: A collaborative research effort delved deeper into the environmental factors impacting autism spectrum disorder (ASD) onset. Utilizing a mouse model treated with valproate, researchers observed an increase in the expression of the Rnf146 gene, a known ASD influencer, in the mouse’s prefrontal lobe. This was associated with autistic behavioral patterns and a disrupted neurotransmitter…

Provided by Katherine Gotthardt, Author Award-winning poet and author Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt announced her 12th book, We All Might Be Witches, an illustrated collection of micropoems released by MacKenzie Publishing. Gotthardt, inspired by her son, wrote the book to honor those with autism spectrum disorder and conditions considered cognitive or emotional disabilities. “The word ‘disability’ attached to…

[By: Damen Shipyards] Port Marlborough New Zealand (PMNZ) and Damen Shipyards have signed a contract for the delivery of an Azimuth Stern Drive Tug 2111. Just 21 metres in length, the ASD Tug 2111 has a bollard pull of 50 tonnes and its Twin Fin skeg and Azimuth thrusters ensure excellent manoeuvrability. PMNZ, situated at…

Head to head: Mice use an array of social-touch behaviors to interact, including facial whisker touch. Heidi and Hans-Juergen Koch / Minden Pictures A new assay measures how mice respond to social touch, a type of interaction that fosters kinship and facilitates communication between animals. This test could help scientists study reactions to social touch…

Bobby Lee, 20, doesn’t want a job bagging groceries or folding napkins in the back of a restaurant. But in a traditional job-training program for people with disabilities, that’s likely what he would get.  Instead, Lee is learning carpentry at a school in Englewood that helps teenagers and young adults with autism figure out what…

In recent years, the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnoses have been on the rise, with a staggering 1 in 36 individuals diagnosed with autism. This neurological condition affects people’s communication, behavior and social interactions, leading to a diverse range of abilities and challenges. However, amidst these challenges, there are opportunities for positive change, particularly in…

Two Kansas librarians have been fired after conservative officials in their town mistook a multi-colored display as something for Pride and the “LGBTQ agenda.” Now they’re suing, the Washington Post reports. In June, Kari Wheeler and Brandy Lancaster, librarians at the Sterling Free Public Library in Sterling, a small community in central Kansas, created two…

Two former librarians and two library patrons are suing the city of Sterling in Kansas for firing the two librarians over a rainbow-colored symbol for autism that busybodies and ideological warriors mistook for an LGBTQ Pride symbol. Kari Wheeler, the former director of the Sterling Free Public Library, and Brandy Lancaster, a library aide and…

It was 2016, and I had just had my rainbow baby, Benjamin.  If you are unfamiliar with the term “Rainbow Baby”, it is a baby that is born after a loss of a pregnancy or infant.  I was the happiest I had ever been and so in love with being a mom.  My plans were…

YSU Quarterback Partners with Rich Center for Autism YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Youngstown State University quarterback Mitch Davidson has officially entered a partnership with The Friends of the Rich Center for Autism just as the 2023 college football season gets underway. Through efforts made by donors to The Friends of the Rich Center for Autism, a…