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Welcome to the Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter.
In this issue:
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Neuroscience for Kids had several new additions in November including:
A. November Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter was archived
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/news2211.html
B. Neuroscience in the News
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/inthenews.html
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The Neuroscience for Kids "Site of the Month" for December is "Portraits of European Neuroscientists" at:
Nicholas Wade, Marco Piccolino and Adrian Simmons have created a unique web site that documents notable European neuroscientists and their discoveries in artistic portraits. Each portrait combines a picture of a person with a drawing illustrating the contribution that the person has made to science. A description of the work and sometimes biographical information about each person is also included. Of course, neuroscientists come from all over the world, but the creators of this web site were funded by The Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and The Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, so they chose to focus on European neuroscientists only.
The portrait gallery is a fun way to learn about important discoveries in neuroscience. Creating these types of illustrations would make a great school project. Also, it would be nice to see portraits of neuroscientists from other parts of the world.
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Get out your pencils, pens and markers! The 2019 NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS DRAWING CONTEST is now open to students in kindergarten through high school, teachers and parents. Use your imagination to draw a picture about the nervous system and you might win a prize. The complete set of rules and the official entry form for the contest are available at:
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/contest19.html
Good luck to everyone!
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Brain Awareness Week (BAW) is a yearly event to promote the public and personal benefits of brain research. As part of international BAW at the University of Washington (Seattle, WA), you are invited to an Open House on Tuesday, March 5, 2019.
The Brain Awareness Week Open House will include an interactive group assembly about the brain and hands-on exhibits that highlight different aspects of brain research. Because of the high interest in the Open House and limited space available, we must restrict the number of people who can attend. Additional information (parking instructions, etc.) will be sent to the classes that are selected to attend.
For more information about UW BAW Open House, contact Dr. Eric H. Chudler (e-mail: chudler@u.washington.edu) or visit the UW BAW web page at:
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/baw.html
If you would like to attend the Open House, please complete the online application located at:
https://catalyst.uw.edu/webq/survey/chudler/362655
Those teachers and classes selected to attend the Open House will be notified no later than February 1, 2019.
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Are you looking for the perfect gift for your brainy friend, coworker or family member? Why not something T-shirts, mugs, clocks, bags, stickers, cards, bumper stickers, jewelry all with a brainy theme. Check it out at:
http://www.cafepress.com/neuro4kids
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A new episode of my BrainWorks TV show was released last month. Join me and the BrainWorks kids as we explore the world of Brain-Computer Interfaces. In the show, we record from cockroach leg nerves, control a robotic gripper with the electrical activity of muscles, visit with a neurosurgeon, play a video game with brain waves, see how electrical stimulation of the spinal cord improves movement in people with spinal cord injuries and talk to a neuroethicist. Watch the show at:
http://uwtv.org/series/brainworks/
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A. The cover story of DISCOVER magazine (December, 2018) is titled "Alzheimer's Under Attack."
B. "Degrees of Freedom" by Raffi Khatchadourian (The NEW YORKER, November 26, 2018.)
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A. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (https://nccih.nih.gov/research/statistics/NHIS/2017), in 2017, yoga was used by 14.3% and meditation was used by 14.2% of the adult population in the United States. Also, yoga was used by 8.4% of children and meditation was used by 5.4% of children.
B. The dinosaur Dilong paradoxus had an S-shaped brain. (Source: Kundrát, M., et al., (2018) Evolutionary disparity in the endoneurocranial configuration between small and gigantic tyrannosauroids, Historical Biology, DOI: 10.1080/08912963.2018.1518442.)
C. Last month, the National Football League awarded $35 million in grants for research into brain health and injury.
D. Mesoneuron is the name of a plant genus in the family Thelypteridaceae (ferns).
E. Penguins have the ability to taste only sour and salty foods, not umami, sweet or bitter foods. (Source: Zhao, H., Li, J. and Zhang, J., Molecular evidence for the loss of three basic tastes in Penguins, Current Biology, 25: R141-R142, 2015.)
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To remove yourself from this mailing list and stop your subscription to
the Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter, send e-mail to Dr. Eric H. Chudler
at: chudler@u.washington.edu
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Your comments and suggestions about this newsletter and the "Neuroscience for Kids" web site are always welcome. If there are any special topics that you would like to see on the web site, just let me know.Eric
Eric H. Chudler, Ph.D.
(e-mail: chudler@u.washington.edu)
(URL:
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html)