Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Comparative Media Studies, September 2015. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. "September 2015." / Includes bibliographical references (pages 28-34). / Low desire is the most common sexual dysfunction in women. Pharmaceuticals are being developed to treat it, most notably Flibanserin, owned by Sprout Pharmaceuticals. Sometimes inaccurately referred to as "female Viagra," Flibanserin actually treats an entirely different problem. Viagra allows men to get an erection, meaning that it treats physical arousal problems. Flibanserin, and other drugs for low sexual desire in women, act on the brain. Women with low desire don't have a problem with physical arousal or with orgasm, but with desiring sex before it starts. Most women with low sexual desire disorder have partners with higher desire than they do. So is low desire a medical, physiological problem in the brain? Or is it a sociocultural, interpersonal issue? Some experts think that the majority of women with what has been called a "disorder" of low sexual desire have no abnormal physiological problem, but instead are living in a sociocultural and medical system that encourages them to think of themselves as broken, and may be best treated with non-pharmaceutical methods. Other experts think that low desire is a physiological problem and drugs are important to treat it. Cultural shame around communicating about sex, undervaluing of women's sexuality compared to men's, and unrealistic sexual expectations all feed into and complicate the issue. / by Anna Nowogrodzki. / S.M.

Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Comparative Media Studies, 2015. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 49-54). / In 2013, the United States Supreme Court heard the case of Association of Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics. The case asked one question: are human genes patentable? Gene patents became commonplace during the biotechnology revolution of the 1980s, but generated a complex web of moral, legal, and biological questions. While some viewed gene patents as necessary in promoting and sustaining innovation, others felt that owning the code of life was morally and legally misguided. This tension played a central role in the early years of the Human Genome Project, and continued as people experienced the challenging consequences of assigning property rights to our shared biology. Several patients with genetic diseases were forced to navigate limited or expensive testing because of a company's genetic monopoly. Some scientists worried that their research might infringe a patent. When the Supreme Court decided the Myriad trial, ruling that unaltered human genes were not patent-eligible, their decision marked a surprising and historic shift in the relationship between patent law and fundamental biology-but questions and uncertainty about a future without gene patents remain. / by Sarah L. Schwartz. / S.M.

Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Comparative Media Studies, 2015. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Flippers first, I splash into the year 2100. Graduate student Hannah Barkley and I are swimming in Nikko Bay, among the Rock Islands of Palau. Here the warm blue-green water resembles naturally what the tropical Pacific will be like by the end of the century, as carbon emissions take an ever-greater toll on the seas. It should be a window into a dire, climate-change future. But things here look fine. In Palau's Nikko Bay and a few other acidified Rock Island sites, life appears to be shrugging off a sneak preview of the coral-reef apocalypse. Now Barkley, her boss Cohen, and the rest of the team are trying to answer a few pressing questions. Are the corals really okay? And if so, how? Moreover, what does that mean? / by Joshua Sokol. / S.M.

Thesis: S.M. in Comparative Media Studies, Writing, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Humanities, 2014. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (page 22 ). / People have taken delight in nature throughout human history, but more recently the work of the natural historian has become more like that of the scientist. Using methods and tools of science, today's naturalists can record nature with precision-and through this, learn more about it. Ecologists now pay heed to the often-forgotten sense of hearing. The Tropical Ecology Lab at University of Puerto Rico, San Piedras, blurs the lines between natural history and science. An array of remote microphones collects sounds from the forests and wetlands, and researchers use computers to analyze the soundscapes themselves. / by Abigail Stokes Nighthill. / S.M. in Comparative Media Studies, Writing

Thesis (S.M. in Science Writing)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Comparative Media Studies, 2013. / "September 2013." Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 23-43). / For centuries, humans killed the grey wolf (canis lupis) out of fear and misunderstanding. By the 1950s, the species had been hunted to brink of extinction within the continental United States save for a small remainder in Minnesota's heavily forested northern wilderness. Environmental studies in the 1960s demonstrated that wolves were valuable to local ecosystems, leading to a scientific and cultural reassessment. In 1974, the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) shielded wolves from further slaughter, allowing the species to rebound and spread across the Great Lakes region. The decision to protect wolves bred resentment amongst some farmers who complained that the predators were a threat to their livelihoods. In late 2011, the government removed the grey wolf from the ESA, citing its full recovery. Just days later in January 2012, Minnesota and Wisconsin both authorized public wolf hunts to bring their respective populations back down to manageable levels. Game officials maintained that these "harvests" - the first in each state's history - were a necessary step for effective wolf management. Critics, however, protested that killing a recently threatened species in such fashion might jeopardize its long-term survival. Wolves invoke passionate sentiments that obscure rational discussion; objective analysis does not always prevail. In Minnesota, there was valid evidence for a cull. With 3,000 wolves in the forest and advanced monitoring technology available to researchers, reducing that number by 400 wolves was a calculated risk worth taking. This fact did not, however, deter conservation groups and advocacy organizations from mounting a concerted protest over the summer of 2012. In Wisconsin, the rationale for a hunt was thinner. Politicians insisted upon aggressive measures that many scientists felt would pose a legitimate danger to the Badger State's fragile contingent of 800 wolves. Input from the state's leading biologists was largely ignored during the legislative process. This is a tale of two ostensibly similar, yet ultimately divergent, wolf hunts: one that took science into account and one that shoved it aside. Both carry equally important implications for the future of grey wolf management in the Midwest. / by Trent Knoss. / S.M.in Science Writing

Thesis (S.M. in Science Writing)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Comparative Media Studies, 2013. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 26-33). / This is the story of an invasive species and one man's quest to eradicate it. The Nile monitor lizard (Varanus niloticus), smaller cousin of the famed Komodo dragon, grows into six feet of carnivorous, ill-tempered muscle. The animal's size and aggression make it a poor candidate for the exotic pet trade, but the species nevertheless obtained popularity in the 1990s. Two decades later, the descendants of released Nile monitors are breeding in the coastal town of Cape Coral, Florida, where the lizards benefit from extensive drainage canals and a buffet of native wildlife-and they're spreading. Herpetologist Todd Campbell has devoted more than a decade of his research to these reptiles, attempting to understand how they got here, how their invasion is wreaking havoc on native ecosystems, and most of all, how to eliminate them for good. The challenges he's faced along the way echo the wider concerns of fighting invasive species, which represent one of the greatest threats to global biodiversity and ecosystems but are poorly studied and rarely prioritized. This thesis follows the trajectory of the Nile monitor from its native Africa to southern Florida, exploring what it is about this lizard's natural history, ecology, and allure to reptile enthusiasts that has made it a charismatic symbol of the perils of biological invasion. / by Erin Maureen Weeks. / S.M.in Science Writing

The rural South African environment in its many representations across television and documentary forms part of a continuously complex conversation. The ways in which fictional shows such as Generations (SABC1), compared to shows like Giyani: Land of Blood (SABC2) and The Herd (Mzansi Magic) have approached the representation of the rural environment, creates a new lens from which to look academically at the representation of rural areas in South Africa. Furthermore, the representation of aspiration in Giyani: Land of Blood and The Herd speaks to a unique shift in the treatment of the fictional stories we have seen in the past in local television shows. This paper analyses these two shows in conversation with my documentary film, Ndhawu which facilitates a conversation around space, identity and aspiration. This qualitative investigation seeks to look critically at the content of Giyani: Land of Blood, The Herd and my documentary film Ndhawu through textual analysis. This analysis, and the critical reflection on Ndhawu, will be steppingstones to supporting the argument that there is a new type of representation that we not only see of rural South Africa, but also of the aspirations of the inhabitants of those areas

No description available.

RUTHLESS! is a gritty, sports psychological drama set in the world of elite gymnastics. It tells the story of an overly ambitious gymnast who, after being involved involved in the accidental death of her teammate, struggles to keep her secret from being unearthed and her sanity intact -- all while trying to actualize her Olympic dream. Like I, Tonya meets Black Swan with shades of Showgirls, it's a story about how unchecked passion begets destruction.

A coming of age dramedy in the vein of "American Graffiti" taking place in a modern, urban setting. Grad Night is about three graduating seniors trying to pull off the most epic senior prank of all time but it backfires into lessons that go far beyond high school.