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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 March including:
A. March Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter was archived
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/news2903.html
B. New Neuroscience in the News
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/inthenews.html
C. Visit or follow my Instagram site with neuroscience facts and trivia:
https://www.instagram.com/ericchudler/
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The Neuroscience for Kids "Site of the Month" for April is the "The Artist Leading Scientific Discovery" at:
"The Artist Leading Scientific Discovery" is a series of three short videos from the Ken Burns in the Classroom collection provided by PBS LearningMedia. The videos describe how Leonardo Da Vinci (born: 1452; died 1519) used his skill as an artist to revolutionize our understanding of anatomy and physiology. The video Mapping the Skull shows how Leonardo examined the skull and brain from a different perspective. Leonardo also challenged many existing concepts about the body that had been in place for hundreds of years (Challenging Galen's Views).
The videos are supported with materials that teachers and students can download as they use the resource. PBS LearningMedia suggests that the resource is appropriate for high school students, grades 9-12.
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I hope you enjoyed last month's Brain Awareness Week. I had a busy time with a visit to an elementary school, a middle school field trip to the University of Washington and a presentation at the Pacific Science Center for BrainFest 2025.
During my school visit and at the Pacific Science Center, I brought my giant neuron model to demonstrate how neurotransmission works. This model is easy and inexpensive to make (see: http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/chmodel.html). I like this model because it shows how electrical signals are used inside a neuron and chemical signals are used to communicate from one neuron to another.
Did you miss Brain Awareness Week this year? If so, there is always next year, March 9-15, 2026.
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Title: The Brilliant Brain. How it works and how to look after it.
Author: Roopa Farooki
Illustrator: Viola Wang
Publisher: Candelwick Press, Somerville (MA), 2024
Grade Level: Kindergarten to Grade 2
Good books about the brain for young children are difficult to find. It is challenging to put complicated concepts about neuroscience into language these readers can understand. "The Brilliant Brain" by Roopa Farooki does a decent job with the basics of neuroscience.
In just 24 pages, Farooki describes the functions of the cerebrum, cerebellum, brain stem, hippocampus, limbic system and spinal cord. However, there is no mention of neurons. Also, the book mentions that the brain looks "dull and gray." In my opinion, the brain does not look dull and it definitely is not gray in appearance. Farooki does make the important point that memories are stored in many places throughout the brain. The last two pages of the book contain some author's notes with tips to maintain brain health: eat a varied diet of fruits and vegetables, get physical and mental exercise, drink water, sleep and protect your head.
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A. "New Treatments Are Rewriting Our Understanding of Schizophrenia" and "After Hiding My Undiagnosed Neurological Condition for Decades, I Finally Found Answers" (SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, April, 2025).
B. "The Singular Beauty of Collective Flight" (NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, April, 2025).
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This month's brain trivia all come from the book "What a Bee Knows. Exploring the Thoughts, Memories and Personalities of Bees," Washington, D.C: Island Press, 2023.
A. Bees cannot see fine detail until they are 15-25 cm from an object.
B. Bees lose their ability to see color when they fly faster than 5 km/hr.
C. Bees have specialized sensory cells to smell carbon dioxide and water vapor.
D. The brain of a honey bee weighs 2 mg (0.00007 oz).
E. Bees appear to sleep and even take short naps.
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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.