Touchpoint 1
We finally know how baleen whales make noise
What is it?
Did you know there are two main types of whales – those with teeth and those without. Both make sounds to call on one another, but toothed uses their nose and toothless uses their larynx. How do scientists even know this? They study beached whales before they die and then dissect them.
Potential message for students:
Do students think it’s ok to study stranded whales while they are in the process of dying? Would it be ok to trap a whale and study it, if it could help humans in a significant way? And if whales depend on these sounds, how are they affected by large ships in the water?
Touchpoint 2
ADHD may have been an evolutionary advantage, research suggests
What is it?
Scientists think our ancestors who were easily distracted and impulsive had an advantage when it came to looking for food. These scientists made a berry foraging game and found that AHHD-like humans spent less time at each bush looking for berries.
Potential message for students:
We have a lot of diseases today that we did not have decades ago. So you think it’s because we now sit at desks and no longer need a lot of past skills we used for hunting and farming. How long will it take before these traits are no longer in humans?
Touchpoint 3
Women vs Men – Stanford Scientists Uncover Key Brain Organization Differences
What is it?
An AI can detect whether a brain is male or female just by studying brain activity.
Potential message to students:
Even if true, does this mean a woman’s brain is different from a man’s brain? If yes, do you think we should study the differences? Do you think brain’s are the same at birth and only over time, do female and male brains become different?