free online life sciences resource update 03/05/15
Mark Lasbury
Good morning,
Did you that the
smallest part of your brain cells has direct control of your waistline? That
same cell part is also the reason that long term space flight messes with your
body. Your bilateral body helps you go fast in one direction while your head
gives you information about the direction your going – but which came first?
Finally, there is a fish that is asymmetric so that it can eat the scales off
of other fish, while an asymmetric parasite sucks its blood – ugh!
These are some of the recent stories we have addressed 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 topics will
include the story of animals that need their eyes so much that they can move
them around their head, a 9 foot long tooth that is built inside out, and the
way that your body knows front from back, top from bottom, or right from left.
Finally, what happens when your growing body can’t tell right from left – you end
up with all your organs reversed.
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