biology

Have you ever stood at the top of a very tall object and shuddered at the thought of looking down? Have you ever noticed that when you give a dog a treat, it tends to repeat the same action for which you praised it? Both of these situations use conditioning, a crux of the behavioral psychology. Two branches of Behaviorism, Classical and Radical Behavioral psychology, use conditioning to explain the actions of humans and animals without ever having to delve into the mind.

I became a vegetarian about two years ago, and have since gone through periods of veganism as well as fish-eating. My choice was mostly motivated by ecological reasons, but I became curious about the health effects of vegetarianism after I noticed changes in how I felt after a change in diet. I found I lost weight as a vegetarian, and had more energy; I also had significantly increased energy in the first month of veganism, though this effect wore off eventually. I wanted to gather more observations to discover if my assumption that vegetarianism was healthier was, in fact, true, and true for people other than myself.

      Vampire myths date back thousands of years and originate from many different regions, from Asia to Eastern Europe, and reach as far back as ancient Babylonia and Greece (1). They are demons, the undead, living off of the blood and flesh of other beings (most prominently humans). They can take the form of many beasts, most memorably the bat. Vampires are characteristically pale, burned by sunlight and deterred with holy water, with prominent teeth and a penchant for seducing their victims. The only way to become a vampire is to be bitten by one. They sleep in coffins and only come out during the night.  But what is the origin of this myth, of vampires? Is their origin rooted in biology? Are vampires “real?”

                Does the number on the scale correlate to how healthy you are?

Are one or more cups of coffee a day actually bad for you? Or, does is actually help you? There have been many studies on the effects of coffee and while the results previously proved rather negative, recent studies have been proving contrary. This is not to negate the idea that coffee can have harmful effects for certain people but it is important to study and analyze the new findings within the science world concerning this topic.

Science is a body of facts. From fifth grade Science to senior year AP Biology, teachers teach students exactly this. Students see science as a procedure with distinct boundaries between what is right and wrong (1). Science experiments had to meet certain expectations and create the "right" results. Science was all about structure.

But what is "right" anyway?

Digital Photos of Macroinvertebrates sampled by Delaware Valley Friends School seventh grade science class on September 28, 2008 from Rhoads Pond and Mill Creek, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.

Ongoing Research:

Students should research one organism below (it may or may not be the one you photographed yourself).  In the blog section below, post information on the life cycle of your organism and identify with the name given next to the photograph.  In addition to life cycle facts, you may report on eating habits, prefered habitat, and unique or interesting behaviors.