NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS NEWSLETTER
Volume 15, Issue 1 (January, 2011)

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HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS!
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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 - One More Month
4. 2011 University of Washington Brain Awareness Week Open House
5. Stink Bug Invasion
6. Brain Donations
7. Holiday Research, BMJ Style
8. Media Alert
9. Treasure Trove of Brain Trivia
10. Support Neuroscience for Kids
11. 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 December including:

A. December Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter was archived
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/news1411.html
B. Mercury in Canned Tuna
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/crmerc.html
C. March and April 2011 NeuroCalendars
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/pdf/mar11.pdf
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/pdf/apr11.pdf

In December, 5 new figures were added and 60 pages were modified.
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2. NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS "SITE OF THE MONTH"

The Neuroscience for Kids "Site of the Month" for January is the "AHAF's Children's Corner for Macular Degeneration" at:

https://www.childrenscorner.org/

The American Health Assistance Foundation (AHAF) has put together this great site where kids (preschool to grade 6) can learn about macular degeneration, a disease of the eye. Start your visit to the Web site with "Learn about Macular Degeneration" by choosing the appropriate grade level. The preschool to K and grades 1-4 materials use FLASH while the grade 5-6 material is a PDF file. You can also play games related to the eye in the "Fun and Games" section. "Magic Goggles" is an interesting way to show how different stages of macular degeneration affect vision. Visit the "Library" section of the site to find some good tips if you are doing a project about macular degeneration.
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3. NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS DRAWING CONTEST - ONE MORE MONTH

Get out your pencils, pens and markers! The NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS DRAWING CONTEST is now open to students in kindergarten through high school. This year, TEACHERS and PARENTS can enter too! Use your imagination to draw a picture about the brain 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/contest11.html

Entries must be received by February 1, 2011.
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4. 2011 UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK OPEN HOUSE

Brain Awareness Week (BAW) will be here soon! The official week for BAW is March 14-20, 2011, but anytime is a great time to celebrate the brain. BAW was established in the late 1990s by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives and the Society for Neuroscience. BAW is now an international event with people all over the globe planning activities to spotlight the brain. For more information about BAW, please visit the Dana Alliance and Society for Neuroscience web sites at:

http://www.dana.org/brainweek/

and

http://www.sfn.org/BAW/

I strongly encourage you to participate in BAW. Your BAW activities do not have to be complicated. Perhaps your class can develop a "Brain Fair" for other students, parents and teachers. There may be neuroscientists who can visit your class with a presentation about the brain. BAW is a time when many neuroscientists are looking for classes to visit. The Society for Neuroscience maintains a list of neuroscientists interested in K-12 education outreach.
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5. STINK BUG INVASION

For the past few years, many people have been dealing with an invasion of bed bugs. Now there is a new menace: STINK BUGS. Stink bugs have now left their outside feeding areas to find a place to spend the winter -- and the inside your house is just the place stink bugs like. The marmorated stink bug seems to be the insect causing most problems on the east coast of the United States.

Stink bugs do not bite or sting and they do not appear to carry any diseases. However, these insects can cause tremendous damage to plants and crops and some people just don't like bugs.

So, why do stink bugs stink? Stink bugs have glands between the first and second pair of legs. These glands contain a stinky liquid with chemicals called aldehydes. Some people think that stink bugs smell like sweaty feet. The insects can release the liquid for protection. If you squash a stink bug, the liquid could get on you and you don't want to smell like sweaty feet!

More information about stink bugs:

http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/brown-marmorated-stink-bug

http://www.mda.state.mn.us/en/plants/insects/stinkbug.aspx
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6. BRAIN DONATIONS

Two more athletes have pledged to donate their brains after they die so scientists can learn more about concussions and brain injury. The first athlete, professional hockey player Ryan Shannon, has suffered two concussions. The other athlete is boxer Micky Ward whose story is told in the recent movie, "The Fighter."
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7. HOLIDAY REEARCH, BMJ SYTLE

Last month (December 18, 2010), the medical journal BMJ published its annual Christmas issue with holiday-related research. The year, researchers studied a few myths associated with the holidays. Here are some of the results:

A. Digestion of cheese fondue is slower when the food is eaten with wine or schnapps than with tea or water.

B. Alcohol cannot be absorbed into the body through the feet.

C. People who are sleep deprived are rated as less healthy, more tired and less attractive than they are after a normal night's sleep.

D. Pencils from the IKEA furniture store make excellent marks on bone to help guide surgeons.

E. People with red hair are not susceptible to increased bleeding during surgery and do not have a higher rate of hernias than people with other hair colors.

You can read many of these studies on the BMJ Web site at:

http://www.bmj.com
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8. MEDIA ALERT

A. "Mercury in Canned Tuna Still a Concern," Consumer Reports, January, 2011.

B. "High Society" is a new museum exhibit that chronicles the history of illegal drugs. The exhibit is open until February 27, 2011, at the Wellcome Collection in London (UK). For more information about "High Society," see:

http://www.wellcomecollection.org/whats-on/exhibitions/high-society.aspx

C. "Fractures and Bindings of Consciousness" by Don M. Tucker and Mark D. Holmes (American Scientist, January-February, 2011).

D. "100 Trillion Connections" by Carl Zimmer (Scientific American, January, 2011) tries to explain how billions of neurons may give rise to consciousness. Also in this issue are "Why Sleep Is Good for You" by Carrie Arnold, "Breaching the Brain Barrier" by Jeneen Interlandi and "Donate Your Brain, Save a Buck" by Gary Stix.

E. A new issue (January, 2011) of Scientific American MIND is on newsstands now.

F. "The A.I. Revolution Is On" by Steven Levy and "Inside the Battle to Define Mental Illness" by Gary Greenberg are both in Wired magazine (January, 2011).
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9. THE TREASURE TROVE OF BRAIN TRIVIA

A. The five "smartest" American Cities (based on a population's educational attainment) are Boulder (CO), Ann Arbor (MI), Washington, D.C., Durham (NC) and Fort Collins (CO). (Source: Portfolio Magazine, http://www.portfolio.com/special-reports/2010/12/01/boulder-colorado- tops-portfolio-2010-ranking-of-city-brainpower)

B. An X-ray of Albert Einstein's skull was auctioned last month in Beverly Hills for $38,750. (Source: MercuryNews.com, via Associated Press, December 5, 2010)

C. Don Meredith, a former National Football League player and Monday Night Football TV announcer passed away on December 5, 2010, after suffering a brain hemorrhage. He was 72 years old.

D. January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month.

E. Last month, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed A-2743, a new state law intended to protect and prevent concussions in student athletes. Read the law at:

http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bills/BillView.asp
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10. 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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11. 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)