--- title: "Ugh, Men! Study Finds That Dudes Spread Way More COVID" description: "Scientists have accidentally discovered that men spread COVID-19 more than women and children. The Colorado-based study, CBS News reported, was intended to look into COVID transmission at performing arts events. But when measuring the number of aerosols emitted by its 75 participants, researchers found something surprising: that the adult male subjects emitted more aerosol particles than […]" date: "2021-12-06" modified: "2021-12-06" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/ugh-men-study-finds-that-dudes-spread-way-more-covid" categories: - "Health & Medicine" - "Studies" tags: - "covid-19" - "gender" --- # Ugh, Men! Study Finds That Dudes Spread Way More COVID ![]() *\Image: Getty Images\* Scientists have accidentally discovered that men spread COVID-19 more than women and children. The Colorado-based study, [*CBS News* reported](), was intended to look into COVID transmission at performing arts events. But when measuring the number of aerosols emitted by its 75 participants, researchers found something surprising: the adult male subjects spewed way more particles than adult women or children. And the explanation is likely simple. Adult men just tend to have larger lungs than women or children. "Adults tend to emit more particles than children," John Volckens, a mechanical engineering professor at Colorado State University, told *CBS*. "The reason men tend to emit more particles is because we have bigger lungs." He also added that people speaking or singing at higher volumes will spread more aerosols because the energy they exert to project their voices "translates to more particles coming out of your body." In other words, *loud* guys are gonna be the ones spreading the most COVID. Quiet down, lads! Overall, though, the takeaway was clear. The enclosed spaces where people are talking, singing, or shouting loudly are the sites of the highest rates of COVID transmission. The CSU researchers also found that in particular, singing loudly does — as the cases of [choir superspreader events]() seemed to suggest — emit more aerosol particles than just talking loudly. Using lots of cool instruments in an "aerosol testing chamber," researchers brought in singers, brass instrument players, and actors to measure aerosol emission. The next phase of the study will focus on which instruments are more likely to spread COVID-19 than others, researchers told *CBS*. Lest we forget the difficult path we've trod so far, let us have a moment of (ironic) silence for the months that global and national health authorities spent [ignoring the overwhelming research]() showing that COVID-19 is transmitted via aerosol droplets that float in the air, and especially so in poorly-ventilated indoor spaces. Without that knowledge, we could never have gotten this incredible burn on the least-fair sex. **READ MORE:** [Study shows men spread COVID particles more than other populations]() \[*CBS News*\] **More on men and COVID:** [*Catching Coronavirus Makes it Harder for Men to Have Kids*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()