Touchpoint 1
Deciphering the molecular interactions of opioid receptors: Implications for drug design
What is it?
Opioids were thought to be a miracle drug for managing pain. But they are highly addictive and kill many people each year. Scientists are looking for how opioids manage pain and to see if there is another drug that can do the same thing, but without being addictive.
Potential message to students:
Do you think drugs like opioids and even more recent weight loss drugs that sound too good to be true are have hidden dangers? Do you think we should throw out the entire idea of opioids or learn from our mistakes and try to make a better pain drug?
Touchpoint 2
Social Media Fuels Eating Disorder Echo Chambers
What is it?
Researchers used machine learning to analyze millions of tweets and found that comments are not diverse. If the tweet is about losing weight, the comments are about losing weight. There are almost no differing opinions. This single view of an issue will bias people and lead to problems, like eating disorders.
Potential message to students:
Do you find that almost every comment agrees with the social media post? What happens when someone disagrees with the post? Do you think readers take the time to find an opposing post and read its comments? Do you agree that one side of a story can lead to bad outcomes?
Touchpoint 3
How Talking to Your Baby in a High-Pitched Voice Boosts Their Language Skills
What is it?
Babies learn language by watching others, but they learn more when they are directly spoken to versus just hearing conversations in a room. Babies need to see the parent talking to them to get the language learning benefits.
Potential message to students:
Do you think this is obvious? Did it need a study? Do you think parents looking at their child talk longer to get a reaction? Do you think the babies can hear better when talking is directed towards them?