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This isn't a study, it's a summary of reasons why testosterone might be related (positively OR negatively) to Covid19 outcomes in males. The intent seems to be

This isn't a study, it's a summary of reasons why testosterone might be related (positively OR negatively) to Covid19 outcomes in males. The intent seems to be to solicit funding for actual studies. I really don't see much reason to be linking papers which are this early in the scientific process here. It just creates confusion. HN readers often don't read the links completely or at all, and are prone to overestimate how conclusive papers are. At the time I'm writing this, literally every single comment on this thread is misunderstanding what this paper is.

Cthulhu_ 6y ago
If you think HN commenters are bad, wait until the media gets wind of this, strips all nuance and goes "ALL MEN ARE GOING TO FUCKING DIE OF THE RONA" or a variation thereof.
- Spooky23 6y ago
  And some influencer will read “RONA” as “RONI” and start picketing of pizza shops as pepperoni is killing us.
  - blaser-waffle 6y ago
    Given the rates of obesity and it's effect on people, they should. Obesity also has a weak correlation to COVID mortality, though like all of the other studies coming out it's hard to say if that's a direct relation or if it's something that correlates with other vulnerabilities.
- walterbell 6y ago
  Have you looked at the male/female stats?
  - kerkeslager 6y ago
    Yes. So? That doesn't prove anything to do with testosterone. There are at least a dozen other possible reasons that men might have higher infection rates and worse outcomes than women, which have nothing to do with testosterone. And just to be clear, the paper doesn't say that testosterone his associated with worse Covid19 outcomes.
- bilbo0s 6y ago
  HN is the media then, because a lot of these comments really do "strip all nuance". We seem to have entered an era where we're all a part of the hysteria. Kerkeslager is right, we should all take time to actually read what this paper is saying. But obviously, most people don't, and that causes issues. Which, I imagine, is why kerkeslager advocated not even informing people until conclusive data exists. But this strategy, of course, runs into the problem that Seneca identified long ago, "A lie can make it around the world before the truth can get its shoes on." It's just the nature of a social media based world. Not sure there is much we can do about it other than educate. To keep reminding people that they need to be skeptical, and read carefully. Even that seems not to work very well, as most people tend to believe anything that aligns with their world view, and disbelieve anything that doesn't. It's just a tough problem. But the most dangerous thing we can do intellectually is to assume that we don't have the problem, only everyone else does.
  - dredmorbius 6y ago
    "A lie can make it around the world ..." Seneca? Seems unlikely. Jonathan Swift has an early variant, from 1710: https://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/07/13/truth/ https://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/07/13/truth/ Though there's: "We should always allow some time to elapse, for time discloses the truth." https://dailystoic.com/seneca-quotes/ https://dailystoic.com/seneca-quotes/
  - kerkeslager 6y ago
    > Which, I imagine, is why kerkeslager advocated not even informing people until conclusive data exists. But this strategy, of course, runs into the problem that Seneca identified long ago, "A lie can make it around the world before the truth can get its shoes on." Well, the problem is that posting this sort of thing for a general audience isn't informing people. It's actually misleading people. I wouldn't call it a "lie" because the intent isn't to deceive, but it's certainly spreading untruth if what you communicate to people is what is being said in this thread.

Cthulhu_ 6y ago

If you think HN commenters are bad, wait until the media gets wind of this, strips all nuance and goes "ALL MEN ARE GOING TO FUCKING DIE OF THE RONA" or a variation thereof.

Spooky23 6y ago
And some influencer will read “RONA” as “RONI” and start picketing of pizza shops as pepperoni is killing us.
- blaser-waffle 6y ago
  Given the rates of obesity and it's effect on people, they should. Obesity also has a weak correlation to COVID mortality, though like all of the other studies coming out it's hard to say if that's a direct relation or if it's something that correlates with other vulnerabilities.
walterbell 6y ago
Have you looked at the male/female stats?
- kerkeslager 6y ago
  Yes. So? That doesn't prove anything to do with testosterone. There are at least a dozen other possible reasons that men might have higher infection rates and worse outcomes than women, which have nothing to do with testosterone. And just to be clear, the paper doesn't say that testosterone his associated with worse Covid19 outcomes.
bilbo0s 6y ago
HN is the media then, because a lot of these comments really do "strip all nuance". We seem to have entered an era where we're all a part of the hysteria. Kerkeslager is right, we should all take time to actually read what this paper is saying. But obviously, most people don't, and that causes issues. Which, I imagine, is why kerkeslager advocated not even informing people until conclusive data exists. But this strategy, of course, runs into the problem that Seneca identified long ago, "A lie can make it around the world before the truth can get its shoes on." It's just the nature of a social media based world. Not sure there is much we can do about it other than educate. To keep reminding people that they need to be skeptical, and read carefully. Even that seems not to work very well, as most people tend to believe anything that aligns with their world view, and disbelieve anything that doesn't. It's just a tough problem. But the most dangerous thing we can do intellectually is to assume that we don't have the problem, only everyone else does.
- dredmorbius 6y ago
  "A lie can make it around the world ..." Seneca? Seems unlikely. Jonathan Swift has an early variant, from 1710: https://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/07/13/truth/ https://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/07/13/truth/ Though there's: "We should always allow some time to elapse, for time discloses the truth." https://dailystoic.com/seneca-quotes/ https://dailystoic.com/seneca-quotes/
- kerkeslager 6y ago
  > Which, I imagine, is why kerkeslager advocated not even informing people until conclusive data exists. But this strategy, of course, runs into the problem that Seneca identified long ago, "A lie can make it around the world before the truth can get its shoes on." Well, the problem is that posting this sort of thing for a general audience isn't informing people. It's actually misleading people. I wouldn't call it a "lie" because the intent isn't to deceive, but it's certainly spreading untruth if what you communicate to people is what is being said in this thread.