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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 January including:
A. January Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter was archived
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/news2312.html
B. New Neuroscience in the News
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/inthenews.html
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The Neuroscience for Kids "Site of the Month" for January is "The Canadian Science Fair Journal" at:
Dr. Dayre McNally, a researcher at the University of Ottawa, and a large group of editors (mostly undergraduate and graduate students) maintain The Canadian Science Fair Journal too "inspire scientific research in children and youth." The team has published six issues of the journal with student experiments about engineering, physics, chemistry, physiology, biology, biochemistry, environmental sciences and computer sciences.
Explore the online journal by clicking on the "Read" link at the top of the main page. Each issue has text and PDF versions of the published papers. The most recent issue of the journal has an interesting paper about phantom limb sensations and another paper describes how fruit flies were used to study the function of insulin. The site also has some useful ideas to teach about scientific writing and some advice for students writing their first journal article.
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The 2020 Neuroscience for Kids Poetry Contest is now closed and judging has begun. Winners will be contacted by email and sent their prizes.
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The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting brings together scientists from around the world to discuss their work. This month, the annual meeting will take place in my hometown of Seattle, WA, from February 13-16, 2020. The meeting is not only for scientists. Everyone can visit the meeting for Family Science Days (February 15-16, 2020; 11 am to 4pm) for a day filled with activities everyone can enjoy. The AAAS Family Science Days are free, but it is best to register before the event to avoid lines:
https://meetings.aaas.org/family-science-days/
The AAAS asked me to participate in their Family Science Days as part of the "Meet a Scientist" program. So, I'll be at the event on February 15, 2020 (Saturday) with my presentation starting at 11 am. I hope to see you there! Here is a schedule of all the Meet a Scientist presenters:
https://meetings.aaas.org/family-science-days/stage/
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Brain Awareness Week (BAW), the yearly event to promote the public and personal benefits of brain research, is this month (March 16-22, 2020). Find a BAW event in your city by searching the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives calendar:
In my opinion, anytime is a good time to celebrate the brain. So, if you cannot get to a BAW event during the official BAW, then plan an activity for another date. I will be hosting about 800 students during the annual BAW Open House at the University of Washington. I will also visit a few local classrooms and conduct a sheep brain dissection for students who will be on campus during BAW.
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A. "The Mind's Social Maps" is the cover story of the February 2020 issue of SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN.
B. A new season of the "Brain Games" TV show hosted by Keegan-Michael Key debuted on the National Geographic station last month.
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A. Singer Taylor Swift has revealed that her mother has been diagnosed with a brain tumor.
B. Nymphoides aquatica is a species of plant found in rivers and lakes in Florida; this plant is also known as the Brain Plant. (Source: https://www.plantsrescue.com/nymphoides-aquatica/)
C. Dr. Seuss had this to say about contagious yawning: "A yawn is quite catching you see. Like a cough. It just takes one yawn to start other yawns off." (Source: Dr. Seuss's Sleep Book, New York: Random House, 1962.)
D. Terry Jones, who passed away last month and was a member of the Monty Python comedy group, had his brain donated to the brain bank at the Institute of Neurology, University College London. (Source: Singh, A., Monty Python frontman Terry Jones donated his brain to dementia research, The Telegraph, January 26, 2020.)
E. The original meaning of the word "hallucinate" was "deceive" from the Latin word "hallucinates" meaning "wander in the mind."
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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)