✔️ The A&P Professor Science & Education Updates - Issue #144

Life Science

The discovery adds to evidence that suggests life’s precursors came from space

Daily vaping of pod-based e-cigarettes alters inflammatory states across multiple organs, including the brain. The effects vary depending upon the vape flavors and influence how the body responds to infections. Mint vapes, for example, leave people more sensitive to the effects of bacterial pneumonia than mango flavoring.

Women expecting male babies often face more complications during pregnancy. Researchers found the sex of a baby affects how well the placenta functions, along with other factors including maternal stress and diet-induced maternal obesity. Designing individual plans and encouraging women to make lifestyle choices based on their child's sex could provide long-term health benefits and reduce complications during pregnancy.

Zebrafish study finds antibiotics can have detrimental effects on the descendants of those exposed to them, including weaker immune systems.

When we hear a song that we already know, we can identify it even if it is not an exact version of the original. If it sounds higher or lower, faster or slower, or if the instruments are different from the known version, humans can identify it even if there are these superficial changes to the melody. New research explores the extent to which this skill is based on skills that are also present in other animals, i.e., not unique to humans.

Nearly 100,000 dementia cases potentially could have been prevented with better eye care

Observational evidence for the connection is solidifying, and some clues are emerging about the mechanisms that may explain it.

Teaching & Learning

In The Physics Teacher, researchers explore the goal of culturally relevant pedagogy, which is to center students' cultural resources as a bridge to learning.

It relies on a framework of academic excellence, cultural competence, and sociopolitical consciousness and encourages teachers to push their students toward using what they learn within the classroom to challenge injustices in society. These investments in students can be invaluable in turning classrooms into places where students recognize their worth.

Yeah, it's physics, but the principles can be applied to A&P, right?

TAPP News & Notes

Can bolstering student confidence, while using gamification to provide some fun, spaced retrieval practice be an answer?