Touchpoint 1
Fetal Cells Can Be Traced Back to the First Day of Embryonic Development
What is it?
Fertilized embryos can be implanted inside the uterus with the hope that it leads to pregnancy. However, the two cells in the embryos appear to have different roles. Only one has fetal cells, which should be used for testing.
Potential message to students:
With 70% of implantations failing, do you think this is just expected behavior or can science improve this failure rate? Do you think a better understanding of eggs or more technology will improve implantation success?
Touchpoint 2
Elon Musk predicts AI will overtake humans to the point that ‘biological intelligence will be 1%’
What is it?
Biology is the main driver of intelligence on Earth. But AI could soon overtake humans in generating intelligence. Elon Musk thinks 99% of the intelligence on Earth will be AI and 1% will be biology.
Potential message to students:
Do you agree a computer can be smarter than all humans combined? Do you think a computer can have an IQ of 300+? Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
Touchpoints 3
How the White House just made the world a little safer from biorisks
What is it?
Biologists can make DNA from scratch. This means that someone could create a disease, like Smallpox, in a lab. The U.S. government is starting to regulate restrictions on what DNA can be made and shipped.
Potential message to students:
If a country cannot get synthetic DNA from the United States, won’t they order it elsewhere? Doesn’t this really need to be a global regulation? Do you think an enemy of the U.S. will make Smallpox and release it in the United States?