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In this issue:
A. February Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter was archived
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/news152.html
B. Did Frederic Chopin Have Epilepsy?
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/chopin.html
C. FDA Approves Imaging on Mobile Devices
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/handh.html
In February, 12 new figures were added and 35 pages were modified.
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The Beautiful Brain calls itself an online magazine about neuroscience.
The Web site focuses on the intersection between art and neuroscience and
is full of typical magazine materials such as articles and photographs.
You can also find podcasts and interviews with artists and scientists. My
favorite part of the site is the gallery. The gallery contains a
collection of photographs around a neuroscience theme. The most recent
collection, "The Art of Neuroscience vol. III," concerns neurogenesis (the
development of new neurons). Just click on one of the images to enlarge a
photograph and read a brief description of what you see. I think that
after you see these pictures that you will agree with me that the brain is
beautiful!
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http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/contest11.html
To judge the contest, I looked at all 624 drawings and selected 10
finalists for the different grade levels (Kindergarten-grade 2; grade 3-5;
grade 6-8; grade 9-12). Winners were chosen by 23 judges who rated the
finalists. Check the Neuroscience for Kids web site in November for the
start of a new Neuroscience for Kids Writing Contest!
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"You've Got Nerve. The Secrets of the Brain and Nerves" by Melissa Stewart, New York: Marshall Cavendish, 2011, 48 pages [ISBN: 978-0-7614-4157-1].
"What Goes On In My Head?" by Robert Winston, New York: DK Publishing, 2010, 96 pages [ISBN: 978-0-7566-6885-3].
"Brain. A 21st Century Look at a 400-million-year-old Organ" by Rob DeSalle and Patricia J. Wynne, Piermont (NH): Bunker Hill Publishing, Inc., 48 pages [ISBN: 9781593730857].
As you look at the covers and flip through the pages of these books, you are sure to be attracted to the many bright and colorful illustrations and photographs. All of the books cover the basics of the nervous system, but in different ways. "You've Got Nerve" is written for younger students and discusses different aspects of the brain in 2-page sections. A glossary at the end of the book defines some of the more difficult words and terms. "What Goes On In My Head," written for older readers, is a bit busier, discussing more topics including perception, personality, reward systems and brain injury. "Brain. A 21st Century Look..." is the most unusual of the three books and is based on the exhibit currently at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. In this book, two museum mice act as guides as they take readers on a tour of the nervous system. The books all contain boxes filled with fascinating facts and trivia about the nervous system.
Although the books contain a few factual errors or mislabeled pictures, I
would still recommend them to young neuroscientists interested in learning
about the brain.
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http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/trans.html
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B. "The Neuroscience of True Grit" by Gary Stix in the March, 2011, issue of Scientific American (the cover story) describes how the brain recovers after it is injured.
C. The new issue of Scientific American MIND (March, 2011) is on newsstands now. Inside this issue are the following articles: "Living in a Dream World: The Role of Daydreaming in Problem-Solving and Creativity," "You Are What You Like," "Ruled by the Body," "Where Are The Talking Robots?" and "Great Pretenders."
D. "Conquering the Brain" is the cover story of the March/April, 2011, issue of the Mental_Floss magazine.
E. "Understanding Pain" is the cover story of the March 7, 2011, issue of
Time magazine.
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B. Each eye of a honeybee is made of thousands of small lenses. The number of lenses in each eye depends on the type of bee: drone bees have 8,600 lenses, worker bees have 6,900 lenses, and queen bees have 3,000 to 4,000 lenses. (Reference: Brackney, S, Plan Bee, New York: Penguin Group, 2009.)
C. Brain Lane is a street in Wapato (WA), Brain Drive is a street in Jerome (ID) and Brain Road is a street in Kings Mountain (NC).
D. Estivation is the process by which some animals become dormant in very hot climates; it is similar to a state of hibernation but in hot climates instead of cold climates.
E. March is National Brain Injury Awareness Month.
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Help Neuroscience for Kids
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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)