WARNING: Biology stuff is mentioned below. I am not liable for any reactions you may have by reading the following.
Education. One of the single most important aspects of a young person's life (ideally, anyway). This semester I am taking two different biology classes. What is the best way to educate students in biology classes? The answer is surprisingly simple. Have them look at dead carcasses.
What have I gotten to look at this semester? So far, I have looked at a plethora of dead bacteria. I have examined several plants that were dying. I have cracked open an egg to examine a three-day old chicken fetus. I have held and played with the heart of an adult pig. Later today, I will be performing a dissection on a fetal pig. All of this has been in the name of science, of course.
One thing I have discovered outside of class is that people react strangely when given information about biology labs. For example, when I tell people that I have aborted a chicken fetus, the most common reaction is a jaw drop follewed by an exclamation of "What?!" It is particularly entertaining to watch someone react to "aborted chicken fetus" when a chunk of chicken is in his or her mouth. I really don't understand that reaction at all. Most of these people eat eggs. All I had to do was crack the egg at a different stage of development. People don't like to think about that, though.
The fetal pig I will be dissecting later today should be interesting. I'll be examining that with people who are as interested in it as I am instead of generic General Biology students who are just getting their general science electives out of the way.
Posted by Randy at February 19, 2004 01:50 PM | TrackBack