TED Talk #1 The Cockroach Beatbox

In class, we have been talking a lot about the word genius.  What do we mean when we say genius?  What does a genius look like?  How does someone become a genius?  We've discussed that being a genius has no age requirement.  A genius can be a kid as well as a grown up.  We've talked about how different people are good at different things.   When people are compared to others they may feel bad about themselves... they may feel that they are not smart or talented.  Geniuses come in many shapes and sizes.  And so do ideas.  Passions.  Talents.  Interests. We may not be able to explain them.  We may not always understand them, but one thing's for sure- all of our ideas, genius ideas or not, come from our brains.

Everybody dance now! 

The second TED talk in our TED talk series focuses on just that very subject-- the very place where the magic happens!  It's hiding there under our skin, cozy in our skulls, like an electric mass of muscle, humming silently away.  Where our ideas grow, passions are discovered, questions are formed.  That gooey, squishy, mysterious, ball of gray stuff.  Ladies and gentlemen, I give you our brain.  

Only muuuuuuuch smaller.

Neuroscientist (someone who studies the brain) Greg Gage gives us a glimpse into the workings of our brains by, wait for it, dissecting a cockroach... yes, right in front of us!   It turns out that cockroach brains are really similar to human brains, so they are handy to study.  Check out this amazing (and kind of freaky) TED talk to learn about how the brain receives and sends out electric messages and how our bodies respond and even dance to a beat.  

Enjoy! 

The Cockroach Beatbox