Touchpoint 1
A Green Light to Build Muscle Cells on Command
What is it?
Scientists in the Living Systems Engineering Lab are working on ways to program tissue creation. They tell stem cells that when they encounter a certain protein, the cells should work to form muscle. When they encounter a different protein, they should become blood cells.
Potential message to students:
How more years do you think before scientists can grow entire humans organs in lab? Which organs do you think they will start with? What do you think is the most valuable tissue they should build first to have the most impact?
Touchpoint 2
Bees use antennae to decode hive mates’ dances in the dark
What is it?
Bee hives can be completely dark. Honey bees move in a certain way, almost like a dance, to show the direction to go for food. Scientists believe that the antennae of bees interpret this dance and can decode where to go for food. And, again, this is in complete darkness.
Potential message for students:
Do you think using computer models to study bees is more effective than just observing bees? Do you think computers will advance our biological understanding of nature? Or do you think computers will lead to more mistakes?
Touchpoint 3
Museum Creates Free Online 3D Scans of 13,000 Vertebrates
What is it?
A Florida museum is making 13,000 3D scans of vertebrates available for free. This will include 80% of the known vertebrates and these will be high resolution scans. Scans will even show stomach contents.
Potential message for students:
Do you think students should dissect frogs in 2024? Do you think dissection is even needed anymore when we have computerized scans with so much detail? What vertebrate would you like to see in a high res scan?