free online life sciences education resource update 06/18/14
Mark Lasbury
Good morning,
Did you know that a
receptor for sensing cold temperatures also controls morphine action and
withdrawal or that bird repellants are related to those apples that taste like
grapes? Did you know that the same protein that tells you when it is cool
outside also keeps you from getting sunburned, or that pit vipers use a cold
sensor to find hot blooded prey from several feet away?
These are some of the recent topics on a free online
resource developed to increase learner engagement and educator content
knowledge. “As Many Exceptions As Rules” tells the stories of organisms that
break biological rules or norms in order to survive and thrive. Through these
stories, the core concepts of the science are reinforced.
The resource can be accessed at : http://biologicalexceptions.blogspot.com
Posted weekly, each story includes pertinent vocabulary with
etymology, interesting questions to spark discussion, links to the reports from
the latest research on the subject being discussed, and a list of online
resources for more information and classroom activities.
Upcoming stories will
talk about the nose of a vampire bat is probably the most sophisticated piece
of technology on Earth and how vampire spiders rob blood meals by hunting down
female mosquitoes that have just bitten you. We will also talk about how cool
and cold receptors control your itch and whether sunflowers actually turn to
follow the sun.
If you wish to receive weekly e-mail notifications of new
posts, reply to the sender individually.
Mark E. Lasbury, MS, MSEd, PhD
Indiana University School of Medicine
IUPUI School of Education
As Many Exceptions As Rules