Looking back on my science evolution, I have no idea where to start. There were so many! I remember walking to a friends house when I was very little and seeing a dead bird covered in maggots. The shear amount and speed that these little worms where devouring the bird was amazing. I remember watching it for a long time, that my parents hand to make me leave (because they thought it was gross). My parents explained to me what was happening, and I thought it was amazing that within hours, the dead bird's corpse was gone.
Another time, I was walking home from school (1st grade) along a busy road with no sidewalks (can you believe it?! Had to put that in it!), when my brothers and I came across a dead opossum but the little babies that lived in her pouch were scattered along the road- alive. They looked so different from their mother, the babies were hairless and tiny, and I knew nothing about marsupials, that babies lived in a mother's pouch till they are old enough to live on their own. I thought this was the craziest thing! This was again explained to me and Kangaroos became my favorite animal because of their joeys. Those opossums along the road, have stayed with me and I always scan the road when I see a dead opossum. I came across this article in the Washington post about people who pick the pouch of dead opossums to save the babies. It's an interesting read, makes me want to stop on poke around roadkill, looking for life. It's called "Pouch Picking".
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2016/04/22/these-people-pick-the-pouches-of-possum-roadkill-to-save-the-babies-inside/
My in-class 'Scientific Me' response was not my first experience with science, but my most incredible interaction. I have always liked science and did rather well. I was in a science program in middle school that dissected frogs, owl pellets, worms, then in high school we moved on to sheep's brains, cats (where we were able to connect lungs to ventilators to watch the lungs expand and restrict) then went to a local community college to dig around in cadavers. We were able to review charts to see what surgeries they had or if they smoked. We could physically see the differences in lung appearance of smokers and non-smokers! That was an amazing opportunity!
After reading Why Scientists Do Science: A Trek For Answers written by DeMicheal (2002), I feel that scientists 'fall' into their profession by following their passion or by something that may have intrigued them growing up. There are so many aspects to science, the engaging the curiosity of children can lead to great things when they grow into professionals.
After reading Why Scientists Do Science: A Trek For Answers written by DeMicheal (2002), I feel that scientists 'fall' into their profession by following their passion or by something that may have intrigued them growing up. There are so many aspects to science, the engaging the curiosity of children can lead to great things when they grow into professionals.
I am an animal lover and I could not fathom coming across a dead possum and her babies scattered all over the road alive, still able to live in her pouch. Did you and your bothers try to save them and bring them home as pets? I would have begged my parents, just the thought of leaving them there would make me cry. The article you attached was a very interesting read. As much of an animal lover as I am, I couldn't imaging going "pouch picking," but I wouldn't mind caring for them if someone else did that dirty job and brought them to me afterwards. I found this cute video of raising a baby possum, check it out: https://youtu.be/5YDyh8YbNF8
ReplyDeleteKendra, this is such an interesting post! I remember being able to attend a special science camp where we had the chance to dissect owl pellets, frogs, a sheep heart and other things. What an opportunity it was. I was able to learn so much!
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