NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS NEWSLETTER
Volume 23, Issue 3 (March, 2019)

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Welcome to the Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter.

In this issue:

  1. What's New at Neuroscience for Kids
  2. Neuroscience for Kids Site of the Month
  3. Neuroscience for Kids Drawing Contest
  4. Brain Awareness Week
  5. Community Neuroscience: How to Teach Brain Science to Kids
  6. New Book
  7. Media Alert
  8. Treasure Trove of Brain Trivia
  9. Support Neuroscience for Kids
  10. How to Stop Your Subscription

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1. WHAT'S NEW AT NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS

Neuroscience for Kids had several new additions in February including:

A. February Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter was archived
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/news2302.html

B. Neuroscience in the News
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/inthenews.html

C. 2019 Neuroscience for Kids Drawing Contest
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/contest19.html

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2. NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS "SITE OF THE MONTH"

The Neuroscience for Kids "Site of the Month" for March is the "The Illusions Index" at:

http://www.illusionsindex.org

Everyone loves a good illusion and "The Illusion Index" is a good place to find one. The Illusions Index is a large collection of illusions created by the Centre for the Study of Perceptual Experience at the University of Glasgow. Most of the illusions are visual, but there are several auditory illusions. Each illusion includes information about what it teaches about perception and sometimes a bit of history behind the illusion. Although you may be familiar with some of the illusions on the site, it is likely that you will find something that you have never seen or heard before.

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3. NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS DRAWING CONTEST

The 2019 Neuroscience for Kids Drawing Contest was a great success thanks to everyone who worked to create their masterpiece. A total of 309 pieces of art were entered into the contest by people from 27 states in the US and five different countries. The winning drawings can be viewed at:

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/contest19.html

A new contest, the Neuroscience for Kids Poetry Contest, will start in October.

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4. BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK

Brain Awareness Week (BAW), the yearly event to promote the public and personal benefits of brain research, is this month (March 11-17, 2019). Find a BAW event in your city by searching the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives calendar:

http://dana.org/baw/calendar/

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5. COMMUNITY NEUROSCIENCE: HOW TO TEACH BRAIN SCIENCE TO KIDS

At the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting last November, the Dana Foundation interviewed several people involved with communicating neuroscience to public. When they asked me to participate, I said "Yes," immediately.

The interviews are now available on the Dana Foundation YouTube channel. The five videos focus on a different activity:

That last video is my interview and you can watch it here:

https://youtu.be/BlyopVhQVPY

and find all of the interviews here:

https://www.youtube.com/user/DanaFoundation/

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6. NEW BOOK

Last month, W.W. Norton & Co. published my new book with co-author Lise Johnson. The book, "Worried? Science Investigates Some of Life's Common Concerns," takes a scientific approach to evaluate things that worry people. For example, are you worried about getting sick on a cruise ship? Are you worried that an elevator you are riding on will crash to the ground? Does the thought of bed bugs keep you awake at night? Lise and I look at the evidence to determine whether these and other concerns are really things that you should worry about.

Lise and I will discuss our findings this month at Third Place Books (Lake Forest Park, WA; March 7, 2019; 7 pm) and the University Bookstore (Seattle, WA; March 8, 2019, 6 pm). You are welcome to attend. For more details about the book, see:

https://books.wwnorton.com/books/detail.aspx?ID=4294997664

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7. MEDIA ALERT

A. "Scientists Are Totally Rethinking Animal Cognition" by Ross Andersen (The Atlantic, March, 2019).

B. "These Researchers Think We Can Retrain Our Brains to Tame Chronic Pain" by Cathryn Jakobson Ramin (DISCOVER magazine, March, 2019).

C. The March 2019 issue of SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND is on newsstands now with several articles about consciousness.

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8. THE TREASURE TROVE OF BRAIN TRIVIA

A. Author Mark Twain published a memory building game in 1892. (Source: https://timeonline.uoregon.edu/twain/index.php)

B. The brain of a porcupine weighs about 25 grams.

C. The lens of the eye is 65% water and 35% protein (Source: Riordan-Eva, P. and Whitcher, J.P., Vaughan & Asbury's General Ophthalmology, 17th ed., New York: Lange Medical Books, 2008)

D. The diameter of common carotid artery is 6 mm.

E. About 80 percent of adults experience low back pain sometime in their lifetimes. (Source: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Low Back Pain Fact Sheet, 2018).

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9. SUPPORT NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS

To ensure that Neuroscience for Kids stays available, we need your help. All contributions to Neuroscience for Kids are tax deductible (subject to IRS regulations). If you would like to donate to Neuroscience for Kids, please visit:

Help Neuroscience for Kids

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10. HOW TO STOP RECEIVING THIS NEWSLETTER

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)