Human Biology & Health Projects, Lessons, Activities (157 results)
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STEM Activity
9 reviews
Did you ever think of lying as an interesting social skill? Lying is actually tied to empathy, the ability to see things from another person’s perspective. Most humans begin to develop these skills around the age of three, when they begin to understand that what they know about the world might be different from what other people know about the world. Telling lies might be a skill, but lies can be bothersome. Sometimes, you really like to know how to tell a truth from a lie. Will the…
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STEM Activity
6 reviews
Take a deep breath: freshly baked cookies, smoke from a wood fire, or a bouquet of roses—your nose is an amazing smell detector! Your sense of smell can not only identify a huge variety of odors, but it is also incredibly sensitive. Think about how easily you can detect if someone in your neighborhood has a barbecue just by smelling hints of smoke from a faraway grill. But how good is your nose when it comes to differentiating individual smells? Do this activity to find out!
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STEM Activity
4 reviews
Did you know we use our side vision for many daily activities, like riding a bike, reading or playing basketball? Few people realize they are even using it. Our survival once depended on the quick response of our peripheral vision. A detailed picture, created by our central vision, is only useful in situations where time allows us to focus on the details. But our side vision can help us avoid dangers quickly. In this activity, you will find out how specialized our peripheral, or side vision, is.
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STEM Activity
Did you know that approximately 2 million people in the United States have no sense of smell? Lack of smell is a disorder known as anosmia, and can be caused by damage to the nerves that transmit information from your nose to your brain. Our sense of smell serves an important purpose, we use it to distinguish between edible and inedible items in our lives, including fresh or rotten foods, and even particular toxins that have strong, unpleasant smells. In this activity you will test the scent…
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STEM Activity
3 reviews
How many objects do you think you are touching with your hands every day? A lot! Every time you touch something, your hands are able to feel how smooth, cold, warm, or rough the object is. In fact, your hands and fingers are so good at sensing details of shapes and surface textures that they are able to identify an object just by touching and without seeing it! You probably know that already because you have tried that before. Here is the challenge though: Do you think your feet can do the…
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Watch out for that ice! When winter weather makes sidewalks icy, many people slip and fall. One tip doctors give is to walk like a penguin. That means pointing your feet slightly outward, keeping your center of gravity over your feet, and taking short, careful steps. Research has shown that these changes in stride and posture help people stay stable and avoid falls. These tips are especially helpful for older adults, who are more at risk of falling due to a decline in their balance as they…
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How accurately can people identify the location of a sound source when blindfolded? Imagine the hemisphere of space that extends above your shoulders at arm's length. Divide that hemisphere up into regular sectors and test the ability of blindfolded test subjects to point to a remembered sound source. For example, you could use the beep from a timer held at each test location, and then have the test subject point to where they think the timer was located. Record the magnitude and direction of…
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The way humans walk—our gait—is usually fairly symmetrical. Each step we take with the left foot is similar in length and timing to the step with the right foot. This symmetry makes walking efficient and reduces stress on the muscles and joints. But what happens when the body is challenged by an uneven load, such as carrying groceries in one hand or holding a backpack on one shoulder? Biomechanics research shows that unequal weight distribution can disrupt gait symmetry, forcing one…
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STEM Activity
Is catching, juggling or heading a ball hard for you? If you ever tried threading a needle, did it end in frustration? Have you ever thought of blaming your eyes for this hardship? Two eyes that work together help you estimate how far a ball is, or where the thread is with respect to the needle. This “working together” of the eyes actually happens in the brain. The brain receives two images (one for each eye), processes them together with the other information received and…
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STEM Activity
7 reviews
What is a normal body temperature for humans? Have you heard people say it is 98.6°F or 37°C? You will find out for yourself if that is fact or fiction in this simple activity.
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