1. What's New at Neuroscience for Kids
2. Neuroscience for Kids Site of the Month
3. Eye On Chicago
4. Science in the Cinema
5. Invasion of the Giant Jellyfish
6. Media Alert
7. Treasure Trove of Brain Trivia

1. WHAT'S NEW AT NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS

Neuroscience for Kids had several new additions in July including:

A. July Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter was archived http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/news147.html
B. Later School Start Time May Make Better Students http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/sstart.html

In July, 1 new figure was added and 20 pages were modified.

__________________________________________________________

2. NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS "SITE OF THE MONTH"

The Neuroscience for Kids "Site of the Month" for August is the "Brain & Behavior" ScienceBlog at:

http://scienceblogs.com/channel/brain-and-behavior/

This month's "Site of the Month" is a collection of neuroscience blogs written by several different authors rather than a single web site. Some of my favorite blogs on the site are "The Frontal Cortex" by Jonah Lehrer, "The Thoughtful Animal" by Jason Goldman, and "Developing Intelligence" by Chris Chatham. You can spend many hours reading through the stories (some long, some short) because these writer post new entries several times each week.

__________________________________________________________

3. EYE ON CHICAGO

If you visit Chicago, you have the chance to see a giant, 30-foot tall eyeball. The eyeball, created by artist Tony Tassett, is constructed of steel-reinforced fiberglass. The eye was installed last month in Pritzker Park and can be seen until the end of October.

__________________________________________________________

4. SCIENCE IN THE CINEMA

Science is making its way into movie theatres in many cities through "Science in the Cinema" programs. These events pair a Hollywood "science"
movie with an expert who can lead a discussion about the topic after the film. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has been running a Science in the Cinema program since 1994. These events are a great way to bring people together to discuss science. Here are a few sample programs:

Washington, D.C. area (NIH web site)
http://science.education.nih.gov/cinema

Calgary, Alberta, Canada
http://www.ahfmr.ab.ca/communications/scienceinthecinema.php

Los Angeles, CA
http://www.scalacs.org/ScienceCinema/index-old.html

If your city does not yet have a Science in the Cinema program, perhaps you can get one started. Maybe you could have a "NEUROscience in the Cinema" program and focus on the brain and brain research. The NIH Science in the Cinema web site has a list of films that they have used in the past and your local university may have the experts who can lead a discussion.

And speaking of science and movies, the "Imagine Science Film Festival"
will take place in New York City, October 15-22, 2010. From the festival web site at:

http://www.imaginesciencefilms.com/

"The Imagine Science Film Festival (ISFF) is a full-fledged New York Science Film Festival. The objective of the festival is to showcase that effectively incorporate science into a compelling narrative while maintaining credible scientific groundings.

ISFF is the first science film festival in New York. It is an environment where filmmakers, artists, scientists and the public can meet, where science is exciting and accessible to everyone, regardless of their background. At ISFF, the public will join scientists in learning and imagining science through visual storytelling."

__________________________________________________________

5. INVASION OF THE GIANT JELLYFISH

Last month, more than 100 people were stung by a Lion's Mane jellyfish at Wallis Sands State Park Beach, in Rye, New Hampshire. Although the jellyfish was dead, the barb-like stinging structures (nematocysts) on the tentacles still worked to inject a toxin that causes pain and reddened skin.

As a lifeguard removed the jellyfish from the water, he broke off pieces of the tentacles. So, instead of one large 40-pound jellyfish to worry about, swimmers had to avoid many small stinging pieces. People who were stung complained of itching, burning and pain and several children were taken to the hospital. Everyone is expected to recover completely.

Did you know?

A. The box jelly stings with an acceleration of up to 40,000 times the force of gravity. The toxin enters the skin within a fraction of second, making the jellyfish sting one of the fastest mechanical events observed in nature. (Source: Wilderness and Environmental Medicine, 15, 102-108,
2004.)

B. Jellyfish do not have a brain. Rather, their nervous systems are organized in a series of interconnected nerve cells called a nerve net.

C. The box jellyfish has 24 eyes. (Source: Nature, 435:201-205, 2005.)

__________________________________________________________

6. MEDIA ALERT

A. The July 14, 2010, issue of New Scientist has several articles about the "Secrets of Laughter."

B. "Jellyfish: The Next King of the Sea" by Abigail Tucker (Smithsonian magazine, August 2010).

C. "Under Pressure: The Search for a Stress Vaccine" by Jonah Lehrer (Wired magazine, August, 2010).

D. "Dead or Alive" is a museum exhibit (closes October 24, 2010) at the Museum of Arts & Design in New York City. The exhibit features sculptures and other pieces created from natural materials such as insects, bones, plants and even hair. The museum web site includes a 78-page resource kit for teachers:

http://www.madmuseum.org/

__________________________________________________________

7. THE TREASURE TROVE OF BRAIN TRIVIA

A. Takeru Kobayashi holds the world record for eating cow brains (17.7 pounds in 15 minutes) (Source:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/06/29/new.york.hot.dog.contest/index.html)

B. All tigers have yellow-orange eyes except white tigers that have blue eyes. Tigers also have round pupils; other cats have slit pupils.
(Source: Dua, H.S., Dua, A.S. and Singh, A.D., The eye of the tiger, Br J Ophthalmol, 94: 166, 2010.)

C. In a 1546 letter, Artist Michelangelo wrote, "...a man paints with his brains and not with his hands, and if he cannot have his brains clear he will come to grief." (Source: Paoletti, J.T. and Radke, G.M., Art in Renaissance Italy, 3rd edition, London: Laurence King Publishing Ltd,
2005.)

D. Dolphins have very small inner ear canal systems. The bottlenose dolphin and the mouse have semicircular canals that are the same size.
(Source: Scudellari, M., Dolphins vs bulls, The Scientist, July, 2010, pp. 21-22.)

E. August is Pain Awareness Month.

_________________________________________________________

8. 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:

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

Updated by: braya on 13-Aug-2010 02:42 PM

Expires: 30-Sep-2010 12:00 AM

Recently Added Documents

Name: Wetlands Map and Glenunga Int. High School map
Updated: 25-Aug-2010 02:41 PM

Name: Newsletters
Updated: 25-Jun-2010 10:56 PM

Name: The inaugural Community Achievement Awards
Updated: 25-Jun-2010 04:02 PM

Name: Try the web sites quoted in an article in the N.Y.Times
Updated: 25-Jun-2010 03:47 PM

Name: YOUTH SUMMIT SMart TRaK:
Updated: 5-Mar-2010 03:17 PM

Name: Raising Gifted Children Booklet
Updated: 16-Mar-2009 03:55 PM

Name: Follow this link to Google Maps for easy directions to get to the campus for Saturday Club:
Updated: 23-Oct-2008 11:15 AM