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Citizen science meets open science
... to help preserve insect biodiversity!
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We have big news: preservation of insects begins in our backyards!
It all starts with openness and inclusion as tenets of every change. That's why we couldn't be happier to unveil a new, peer-reviewed Open Citizen Science research that just got out in the Resarch Idas and Outcomes (RIO) journal, as part of Wikimedia Fellowship!
Its two-pronged approach first takes the scientific expertise, kicks it off the ivory tower and diffuses among community members, teaching them how to capture insect electroretinograms (ERGs) across their local species. These citizen scientists then collect data on insect populations, catalog it and turn it into open, universally accessible knowledge.
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A mobile app is also being developed to help with data collection. But what's the link between insect electrophysiology and preservation of biodiversity?
By studying insect ERGs and other parameters, we can learn about the health of their environment, impacts of global climate change and local pollution. Plus, the project will help raise awareness and increase participation on the local level, among communities that are traditionally underrepresented in science yet are among the first to directly feel the impact of environmental catastrophe.
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Greg Gage Talks @ Google
Our co-founder on "How Your Brain Works"
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As a tech company that kicked off a computer revolution, it's only natural that Google should host a discussion about a neuro revolution!
And it's hard to imagine speaker who would be more apt to talk about it than our co-founder, Dr. Greg Gage. He gave Google's audience a Neuroscience 101 crash course, but also a live demo of some of the experiments from the new title "How Your Brain Works: Neuroscience Experiments for Everyone."
Greg also answered questions from the public and talked about things that scientists can learn from kids. That's how some of Backyard Brains' most well-known experiments like Cyborg Cockroach were developed!
You can see the episode here or tune in to the audio via links below.
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Another Podcast: Roaches, Humans, AI
Hear! Hear! from our co-founder Tim
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What do cockroaches, humans, AI, and boxing have in common? The answer is electrophysiology!
Tune in to the "Roll With the Punches" podcast where our co-founder Dr. Tim Marzullo and his host Tiff Cook discuss neuroscience, biology and technology in a casual, non-nerdy way. Tiff, who is a boxer, was also curious about the boundaries of controlling another person's will: would it be possible to have a box match remotely and orchestrate someone else's movements from safety outside the ropes?
Spoiler alert: you'll also learn how to play and win Super Mario Bros. without ever using fireballs!
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Meet our newest interns
The Chilean high school seniors research plants electrophysiology
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Our Ann Arbor team will be having reinforcement over the next 3 months! After spending a whole semester recording and collecting plants electrophysiology data with their classmates back at their high school in Santiago de Chile, Danae and Derek have joined us as interns to crack the code of plant response to a flame stimulus in 14 different species.
Guided and supported by our team of scientists, these young researchers will be analyzing this data and writing up the results for formal publication!
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#NeuroscienceEverywhere
This time in Penang, Malaysia!
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A little orange gripper and many willing spikes: that's all it takes to turn a room into a full-fledged neuroscience lab. This time, it happened at an exhibition for primary and secondary school students in George Town, Penang!
Kids got to try their hands (and claws!) at neuroprosthetics thanks to the hard work and fervor of American Tech Corner-on-Wheels (ATCoW) and Penang Science Cluster.
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Roaches in a Yearbook
And where there are roaches, there's BYB too!
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2022 ended with a special honor: our gear & experiments were featured in a students' yearbook in the New Tech Odessa High School!
In a survey, the kids said they found it very interesting and inspiring to learn about animals and human neurophysiology through hands-on experiments. They also appreciated our "Meet the Scientist" Zoom calls where they got to talk to real scientists and ask them questions. The special praise went to their class pets -- cockroaches!
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